SUNDAY July 4
Pastors for Peace Border Crossing
12pm
Picnic & Rally @ Peace Arch Park
Canada-US Border White Rock/Blaine
* For carpooling call 778-882-5223 *
Pastors for Peace has coordinated more than 50 Caravans to Mexico, Central America and Cuba - delivering life-giving aid, and organizing at home for a more just policy toward our neighbors in the hemisphere.
Each caravan is an endeavor of love rooted in social justice. It's a huge project linking people, vehicles and humanitarian aid. Caravans travel on different routes throughout the US and Canada from north to south, ending up together at the Texas border with Mexico, and then moving ahead to their destination country.
Our largest caravan – to Cuba – has 14 separate routes. Often our vehicles are brightly painted school buses, but we also donate trucks, ambulances, mobile libraries, and cars.
As we travel through the US and Canada over a 1-2 week period, we make many pre-arranged stops in cities and communities. There, we talk in public outreach events about what is happening in the country we are going to and the purpose of our trip. We also participate in press conferences and media interviews. We usually stay in the homes of local volunteers from organizations that arranged the public event – usually churches, solidarity committees or peace and justice centers. At many stops we pick up new caravanistas or aid that has already been collected and packed by the host organization.
The humanitarian aid we take is principally medical and educational supplies and equipment, but also computers, bicycles, tools, and sports and cultural equipment. Some of the vehicles we use to transport the aid are themselves donated in the destination country.
