Work (by TSPers beyond TSP)

In a chat with one of our TSP Communications Group, I was asked to share a brief note about one of my recent activities supporting the FCJ Refugee Center. As some of you may know, I have been helping out over the past 4 years in different capacities at this nearby immigrant center that specializes in assisting the undocumented  not only with legal process advice but also by maintaining a supportive peer community for immigrant families and youth with popular events and providing some of them with Second Harvest food distribution. [On Thursday afternoons I am delivering food hampers to 14 families in the York University/Keele/Jane area

Three weeks ago Francisco Rico (one of the co-directors of FCJ) asked me if I could fabricate ten plexiglass frames to protect the FCJ staff from direct breathing contact with their clients once they resume their in-office interviews [now carried out by phone or Zoom]. “Why not?” I replied innocently.

And with that I began the search for both the 2″ x 2″ pine needed for the frames and the increasingly rare sheets of 2′ x 4′ plexiglass. Both Home Depot and Loews were already cleaned out; nearby New Canadians turned out to be my only supplier (their last sheets!). Then with the occasional help of my 16 year old Spanish immigrant “little brother” Carlos, we cleared out my garage and started to turn out the ten protectors, each custom-built for different configurations of the staff desks. [[Unfortunately too busy to take pictures of that process]

The photos below capture the final stage of delivery to FCJ:

Bob Fugere