On Saturday, December 9, 2017 members of the Caldwell Chapter of Dominican Young Adults USA (Caldwell, NJ) , Mt. St. Dominic (Caldwell, NJ) and Lacordaire Academy (Montclair, NJ) students, faculty and parents and the Sisters of St. Dominic gathered together for the Stamp Out Despair packing party at St. Catherine’s Healthcare and Convent in Caldwell, NJ located on the grounds of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Caldwell Motherhouse.

First Friends of NJ and NY is an organization that upholds the inherent dignity and humanity of detained immigrants and asylum seekers. They provide compassion and hope through volunteer visitation, resettlement assistance, advocacy and the semi-annual Stamp Out Despair drives.

The group came together to assemble 300 folders for the men and women detained in the Elizabeth Detention Center. Each folder contained cards, paper, stamped envelopes, a message of encouragement and information on First Friends. The Dominican Young Adults, Lindsay and Lauren worked with Sisters De Montfort and Mary Agnes to organize the material before the rest of the group arrived. This facilitated the work of the assembly line work for the others. Thanks to their help the group was able to finish our work in rapid speed and with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction for a job well done. Participants left with a renewed sense of what Christmas is all about.