Friends of Immigrants is the new umbrella under which Dayspring’s three immigration-related ministries are consolidated. We have joined hands to share resources, information, advocacy, and volunteers so that as many immigrants as possible may be served, at a time when the need is greatest.
It includes Feeding Families, which assists local immigrant families who have lost a wage earner to detention or deportation. Dayspring and other volunteers provide a two-to-three-week supply of food every week to approximately 40 families, in addition to grocery cards and donations.
Iglesia Aliento, a south Phoenix church that is in a covenant relationship with Dayspring, also is part of Friends of Immigrants. The church assists asylum seekers with ESL classes, summer camps for kids, and large cultural events, for which Dayspring provides volunteers and financial support.
The third is Refugee Bridge, previously known as New Americans, which currently supports a refugee family from Africa that was legally resettled to the U.S. in January 2025. Dayspring contributes funds, in-kind donations and volunteers who are helping the family learn about and acclimate to their new country. Recently, it joined with two other Valley churches to cover one month’s rent for a Nigerian in the U.S on a student visa
We welcome each of you into this big tent to become involved in whatever ways call to you!
Feeding Families
In September 2025, the plight of immigrant families who have lost a wage earner to deportation or detention was brought to the attention of those attending a Dayspring house meeting. We learned that over 17,000 people in Arizona have been picked up by ICE under the current administration. Each of them has left behind a family to figure out what to do and how to survive.
After the meeting, several Dayspring members were connected to an organization providing these families with food assistance. Quickly, and not surprisingly, Dayspring rose to the call and became very involved with food-delivery efforts. It donated a portion of its Thanksgiving food drive and provided funding to the new ministry, and members sold tortillas, and collected food on every Second Sunday.
Every week, Dayspring and other groups provide a two-to-three week supply of food to approximately 40 families, generally including over 100 children. Food deliveries include shelf stable foods, fresh produce, meat and dairy products. Diapers and formula are included if needed.
In addition to the loss of a loved one, however, our families often suffer additional trauma such as medical conditions, housing uncertainty, and difficult navigation through legal processes. Aid other than food is often provided, including advocacy and funds to help with rent and legal, medical and utility bills. Among those we serve:
- A trans woman who was thrown into the men’s detention section when she went in for an ICE check-in
- A family whose 15-year-old son has leukemia
- A young woman whose baby was stillborn because she was not able to receive prenatal care
- A family living in an abandoned office space with no air conditioning or kitchen facilities
- Three sisters, ages 13, 18 and 22, whose mother has been detained
- The families of fathers who will never meet their newborn babies
Help us spread love to these most vulnerable members of our society.
Our needs:
- Shelf stable foods such as peanut butter, pasta sauce, pasta, macaroni and cheese, dried beans, rice, canned vegetables, (especially tomatoes), canned fruit, cereal, oatmeal, applesauce, canned chicken and tuna
- Cash or grocery store gift cards
- Diapers and wipes (especially sizes 4-8)
- Volunteers to shop and make deliveries
- Volunteers to help collect bread from Wildflower on Sunday evenings
Contact Ruth at 480-298-3035 or email ruthandmarkboyle@gmail.com for more information.
Food Delivery to an Immigrant Family
Artwork by a 12 year old that she was selling to earn money to send to her parents in detention.
All the worldly belongings of an immigrant mother and family who made the heartbreaking decision to self-deport to their unstable home country after her husband was deported:
Mark, Jane, and Morag collecting food at a food bank to include in a delivery
Iglesia Aliento and The Power of Covenant
The idea of covenant is central to understanding God’s relationship with God’s people. From God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 to “bless all the families of the earth”
through him, to Jesus’ words in Luke 22:20 about the new Covenant of his love, we see how covenant is a sacred agreement rooted in trust, love, and shared responsibility. A
covenant is not one-sided; it is a partnership in which both parties commit to walking together and supporting one another for the glory of God.
In that spirit, Dayspring UMC has entered into a covenant relationship with lglesia Aliento United Methodist Fellowship (UMF), a young and vibrant congregation planted by Pastor Flor Granillo. Pastor Flor began her ministry at Central UMC in 2022, serving refugees and asylum seekers across the Metro Valley. Her work brought her to the building that once housed Community Square UMF in July 2023, a space that has served as a beacon of ministry since it was first home to Primera lglesia Metodista Unida in 1896. Now, lglesia Aliento is in its second year, and it is a community of faith composed of asylum seekers from across Latin America- Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala, Cuba, Brazil, and Mexico
Aliento is more than a church; it is a place of hope and healing for those who have left their homes under extraordinary circumstances, often with little more than their faith and determination to guide them. Unlike refugees, who arrive through formal agreements between governments, asylum seekers must navigate their own path to safety, without any guarantee of welcome or stability.
The people of Dayspring have offered English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at Aliento, attended tamale cooking classes, and supported Aliento’s Tamale Festival. In turn, the people of Aliento have shared their culture, stories, and vibrant faith.
Their fellowship room is adorned with flags from their home countries, a reminder of the diversity and richness they bring to the body of Christ.
We continue to seek ways to walk alongside each other by attending worship together at both churches and attending celebrations! We are always seeking volunteer tutors to work with our ESL students on Wednesday evening, 6:30-7:30, at Aliento.
On October 18, you are invited to celebrate Aliento’s Anniversary Celebration! Worship begins at 12:30 (every Sunday) and there will be a feast after ~ a feast that represents every country involved at the church!
In November, Dayspring will have an opportunity to support the families of Aliento at Christmas by picking up an Angel gift request and returning it to Dayspring in December in time for Aliento’s big Christmas Celebration!
In December, Aliento is hosting a Gala Banquet with a three-course meal as their annual fundraiser. This will be a special evening and you will not want to miss it! December 19!
For more information about our Covenant with Iglesia Aliento,
contact revrose04@gmail.com
Rev. Rosemary Anderson
Refugee Bridge
Since April 2025, Dayspring has been the church co-sponsor of Abigail and her four young children, ages 10, 7, and 5-year-old twins. They came to the U.S. speaking no English and knowing no one, and without a husband or father. He died of an illness in the Cameroon refugee camp where they lived when the twins were 5-months old. They left behind a large extended family a continent away for the hope of a better life in the U.S.
Abigail is a teacher at a Phoenix preschool, and her four children are enrolled in a public school, where they are doing very well. They have been consistently tutored in reading, math and writing by our team of volunteers for over a year — what a difference that has made. They have made friends at school and at the Boys and Girls Club where they go after school.
Abigail also has made great progress in her English use and comprehension, thanks to tutoring from a volunteer.
In almost two years in the U.S., we have helped Abigail navigate the complex maize of federal public assistance and filing out applications for her and her children’s green cards.
The Trump administration has stripped refugees and other immigrants of their nutrition and cash assistance, as well as their children of health care through Medicaid, known as AHCCCS in Arizona. Immigrants are ineligible for the Affordable Care Act and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Abigail will be eligible for public assistance if and when her family’s green cards petitions are approved. But the Catch-22 is that the U.S. has halted processing of green-card applications. Abigal filed her green-card paperwork – and paid a hefty sum to do so – in February.
Alongside the frustrations have been many blessings. The Dayspring family has embraced Abigail and her children, not only with sustained giving but with huge hugs and smiles when they are in church, usually on Second Sundays. The children love kids church, and the entire family enjoys the drum circle and, of course, the burritos.
Our volunteer team has taken the family to uniquely American events and helped them celebrate unfamiliar holidays. Think Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the Fourth of July. They rode the light rail to downtown Tempe for the Veteran’s Day parade. They spent a December afternoon receiving Christmas gifts from the Pinnacle High freshman football team, followed by an impromptu soccer game at their apartment complex.
Abigail, the kids and our volunteers recently toured the Musical Instrument Museum with a group from Dayspring. They have been to the movies, plays and public pools and libraries. Oh, it goes without saying, they love McDonald’s.
Abigail spent her 32nd birthday being pampered at a local beauty school, where she her hair styled and received a facial for the very first time.
As they approach their third year in the U.S. in the new year, there are many unknowns: When will their green cards arrive? Will they be safe on the streets from those in law enforcement who don’t know, and may not care, that they have a legal right to be here? Will Abigail be able to move from their tiny two-bedroom apartment? Will she learn to drive and buy a car?
One thing is for certain: The Bible calls on us to welcome and care for the widow, the orphan, the stranger and our neighbor. No matter where immigrants come from and no matter how they got here, they deserve respect and kindness. Dayspring will continue to provide that.
Wish list:
- Monetary contributions for the children’s medical insurance (on Dayspring giving website, drop down to Friends of Immigrants)
- Gift cards (such as Food City, Target or Walmart)
- Volunteer to join our team – you can:
-Help with reading and homework
-Drive the family to a school event
-Plan a fun, educational event that will help them learn about the U.S.
-Help Abigail with budgeting and organization
-Sit with the family during Second Sundays
-Write letters to your Congressional representatives asking that refugee resettlement be reinstated (We have sample letters and templates for mail and email.)
-Read to a child who a year ago knew very little English, and now will be excited to read a book to you
Please email Janie Magruder at jbmagrud@gmail.com to learn more.