Good Shepherd supports CASA in Framingham

On October 18 several members of the Mission Outreach Committee attended a panel discussion and fundraiser on behalf of CASA – the MetroWest Workers’ Center that was sponsored by Congregation Beth Elohim and the Boxboro Congregational Church. CASA is an immigrant worker-led organization in Framingham that focuses on immigrant workers’ rights. With a relatively small budget, it has pivoted during the present crises to additionally address the legal rights of detainees and food insecurity for families that have lost a wage earner.

The panel included Leela Ramachandran, Co-Director of CASA and a graduate of Acton-Boxboro Schools, Representative Dan Sena, former Dreamer who emigrated from Brazil as a child, and two CASA clients.

The evening was compelling and disturbing. One of the clients is an Ecuadoran, a proud father of four daughters who joined him at the synagogue. He is a sub-contractor who leaves home every morning before dawn and returns after his children are asleep. He talked about the frustration of working with contractors who often cheat him and his employees of promised wages. In another case, the panelists related the story of a team of workers who travelled to Maine to work on a week-long building project at a hotel. On the sixth day, the owner reported them to ICE so he wouldn’t have to pay them for their work.

CASA is supporting the basic needs of families who have lost their wage earner to detention and providing legal support. Good Shepherd has sent a donation of $500 from the Refugee Support Fund. Follow these links for more information about the work of this amazing organization and volunteer opportunities.