BEARDSTOWN - With colder temperatures already here this autumn, Shelly Heideman, executive director of the Elizabeth Ann Seton Program, is seeking assistance for Puerto Ricans who have recently come to Illinois to work in Beardstown.

"I know of 30 families who have come from Puerto Rico in the past month. These are people who have come here with just the clothes that they bring with them," says Heideman of the new Cargill Meat Solutions employees. "They have nothing else - no warm clothes, no furniture, no pots and pans."

Because Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth in association with the United States, Puerto Ricans are statutory U.S. citizens and there is no issue about the legalities of immigrating into the states. Moreover, many of the people who live in Puerto Rico are extremely poor. They see working in the states as a way to better their financial situation. "They come here seeking a better life," Heideman says.

Heideman has been working through the Beardstown Elizabeth Ann Seton Program for close to five years and is familiar with the townspeople. "Each month we serve 30 to 40 families there," she says, adding that the churches in Beardstown have been "extremely helpful and welcoming" to Hispanic newcomers to their town.

"However, the present need is much bigger than social services and the churches in Beardstown can supply," she says. "Of course right now the parents' biggest concern is that the children have no warm clothes."

The Beardstown Elizabeth Ann Seton Program does more than provide strictly material assistance to immigrants. It has also partnered with various other organizations in offering services such as English as a second language (ESL) classes and educational sessions on parenting, mother/child health, and emergency management. They do provide personal care supplies for the immigrants and have sponsored a community garden for the past two summers.   

"All the immigrants who are in Beardstown (who are mostly Hispanic and a small number who are West African) are people just like us," Heideman says. "They come to the United States to provide better for their families. They are people with strong family values and strong spiritual values. They are moms and dads and kids, just like our families - and they need our help."

When offering donations, people should be careful to provide items that are in good, usable shape, Heideman says.

"I always remind people that this all has to do with the dignity of the person we are helping," Heideman concludes, adding that she and her family could "definitely use some assistance" in transporting items to Beardstown.

To donate clothes, household supplies and furniture or to provide other assistance, call Heideman at (217) 757-6025.