When national events overwhelm us, sometimes all we can do is act locally to try to change things in a small way.

Nine years ago, I met with several people from my local Jewish community who were dismayed by state and national leaders demonizing immigrants. We wanted to find a way to respond.

We came up with a simple idea: Match local volunteers with recently arrived asylum seekers. The volunteers would serve as mentors, helping them find resources and navigate challenges. We decided to focus on asylum seekers because they are the most vulnerable immigrants; they are totally dependent on public assistance until they get work permits, and there is no guarantee they will be allowed to stay here in the long term.

We called our effort Welcoming the Stranger. From the outset, we were an informal and non-sectarian program, run by volunteers. The program grew exponentially after President Trump was elected. Many people were then searching for a way to make a difference. Our program provided that.

My own mentoring experience began in 2016, at our program’s first Thanksgiving dinner. I met a single mother who I will call Gloria. Gloria is the same age as my younger daughter, and they share a flair for fashion. Gloria fled an abusive partner in her home country in central Africa. She and her two young children were living in a Portland shelter at that time.

Gloria spoke only a little English, and my junior-high French was barely useful. We relied on Google Translate at first, trying to make sense of its often hilarious gobbledygook.

Gloria is a resourceful person, and she took full advantage of what was offered. When her family came to visit me, she brought over laundry to wash, thus saving her money for other needs. Her daughter and son played with the toys that my friends donated. They helped me in the garden and, come July, proudly dug up the potatoes they had planted.

Although we celebrated when Gloria found an apartment, it was a sketchy place, infested with bedbugs and cockroaches.

When Gloria was hired by a temp agency, she had to scramble to arrange child care. I helped her apply for a state day care subsidy, which required jumping through several hoops.

Whenever I ran into a problem that I couldn’t solve, I turned to others in Welcoming the Stranger for help. Our volunteer base includes experts on immigration and social services. Local legislators helped resolve some bureaucratic snafus.

Even Rep. Chellie Pingree’s office got involved. When we learned that Gloria’s ex-partner was threatening the family, Pingree’s office helped flag his passport should he try to enter the country.

As Welcoming the Stranger grew, we started getting small donations that Temple Beth El managed for us. That money helped cover mentees’ expenses, such as security deposits or trips to immigration court. We hired a wonderful organizer, Amy Titcomb, to manage daily operations. In 2022, we handed over the oversight for the program to the immigrant-run Maine Association of New Americans.

Eight years later, I marvel at how far Gloria has come. A long time has passed since she had to wait in line for hours at the Portland General Assistance office. These days, she asks me for advice about how to invest her 401(k).

With little formal schooling, Gloria has mastered everyday English – and she crushes it on American slang. After a few years as a temp, she found a permanent job with a major retailer. They keep trying to make her a manager, but she resists because she wants a flexible schedule to be available for her kids. These days, she lives in a subsidized apartment in a nice neighborhood.

Gloria and her children have become part of my family. They call me Mami, a term of affection for an older woman. I cheered in the audience when each child graduated from elementary school.

As we head into another election where immigrants once again are being demonized, I am heartened to think about what Welcoming the Stranger has accomplished. The program currently has 67 active matches, plus 281 completed matches (people like Gloria and I, who stay connected, mainly as friends).

The asylum seekers in the program are filling essential jobs in our community and raising children who will be our future leaders. It has been one of the great privileges of my life to help Gloria and her children make their way in this country. God bless the America that made that possible.