SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2026, LOUISIANA
|
|
|
|
Dear {{FirstName or ‘friend’}},
Dear friends, on Friday at LORI’s food pantry more than 240 family heads stood in heavy rain to receive support. Most were mothers and fathers whose work permits have been pulled out from under them as Temporary Protected Status protections face termination across multiple country designations and litigation continues in the federal courts.
While distributing food, I watched a father gently place his two small children inside a cardboard box to keep them dry while he waited in line. That worn-out box was all he had to protect them. The image has not left me.
I keep thinking about him today.
What weighs heaviest is this: while families struggle simply to survive, Louisiana is advancing a wave of anti-immigrant legislation that pressures health workers, caregivers, and service providers to verify the citizenship status of the people they serve. Families are now afraid to seek help, even when their children are hungry.
We refuse to let fear define this community.
Every day, LORI works to ease these burdens, to restore dignity, and to remind families that they are not alone. We are building a place where forcibly displaced people can find safety, support, and hope.
|
|
|
|
In honor of Mother’s Day, and mothers carrying that weight, we are launching the Mothering Through It All Fund.
In the first months of 2026 alone, LORI has distributed more than 8,000 diapers and reached more than 12,000 people with food, legal aid, Know Your Rights trainings, and emergency support. Yet, the need continues to grow. Some mothers are now using rags because they cannot afford diapers.
I am reaching out first to trusted friends who have stood with refugee and immigrant families before. Would you consider a leadership gift — of any amount — to help us meet this moment? Your support feeds families. It restores dignity. It tells a mother who is using rags that she has not been forgotten.
|
|
|
|
Give Today
The Mothering Through It All Fund
A leadership gift of any size feeds families and restores dignity. Donations are tax-deductible. LORI is a 501(c)(3) organization.
|
With gratitude and solidarity,
Dauda Sesay
Founder & Executive Director · Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants
|
Gather With Us · Saturday, May 23
|
Honoring Moms. Prioritizing Self-Care.
|
Mothering through crisis takes a toll that rarely speaks its name. This Mother’s Day season, we gather to honor the strength of mothers and to center the mental wellness too often deferred in the work of holding everyone else together.
The May 23 gathering is open to mothers, and families. Expect food, fellowship, and resources for mental health and well-being — held in the spirit of the same community work that drew 240 families to our food pantry the day before.
|
The Ballot · Six Days Out
|
Don’t be fooled. The election is still happening.
|
Despite confusion following recent court rulings on Louisiana’s congressional districts, the May 16 statewide election proceeds as scheduled — with five constitutional amendments, the U.S. Senate race, Public Service Commission, BESE, and local races on the ballot.
LORI joins coalition partners at LOVE Louisiana — Lift Our Votes 4 Empowerment — in urging every eligible voter to read each amendment carefully and vote all the way down the ballot. Every constitutional amendment on this ballot is a long-term decision: amendments are difficult to reverse and shape Louisiana for years to come.
Learn more about the five constitutional amendments
|
Summer at LORI · Kicks Off June 16
|
Every year, LORI creates a space where children from refugee and immigrant families can learn, grow, and feel a true sense of belonging. The Summer Enrichment Camp combines academic support, leadership development, and arts and crafts in an environment built to strengthen confidence and prepare students for the school year ahead.
|
Sponsor a Child. Change Their Journey.
|
Many of the children entering camp this summer will return to school in the fall without the basic supplies needed to participate fully in the classroom. Through A Summer of Opportunity, the community can sponsor a child’s full summer experience, a back-to-school kit, or both. Every dollar follows a child from June through the first day of school.
|
World Refugee & Immigrant Day · 9th Annual
|
SOLIDARITY AND COURAGE: Rooted in Community
|
At a moment when displacement continues to shape lives across the world, LORI’s annual gathering centers the strength, dignity, and lived experience of refugees and immigrants — and recognizes the communities they continue to build and transform here in Louisiana.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, more than 120 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide today — the highest figure ever recorded. World Refugee and Immigrant Day is LORI’s invitation to bring that global reality home, in fellowship, food, music, and shared resolve.
|
Health. Safety. Community. Civic Engagement. A day of connection, resources, and support — bringing together organizations focused on health, disaster preparedness, and community empowerment.
You can sign up here to table at the event.
|
Ongoing Programs · Year-Round
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
(225) 279-9610 | info@mylori.org
Louisiana Organization for Refugees & Immigrants
1120 Government St.
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
United States
{{Disclaimer}}
|
|
|
|
(Unsubscribing is not supported in previews)
|
|
|
|
|
