Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by Chris Megargee from La Talacha on January 28, 2026.
It began with hot coffee and fresh pan dulce. It continued with honest conversation, lots of listening and a consistent physical presence.
That’s how our Adopt a Corner group began four months ago, with a commitment to build community, solidarity, and safety among day laborers who gather at the Home Depot in Shoreline, Washington, and neighbors like me who live close by and care.
After just a few visits, the men we met were no longer anonymous strangers in the corner of a parking lot with ballcaps, boots, and backpacks. They are now Santiago, Esteban, Pedro, Carmen, Julio, Gregorio, and others. We know them by name, and they know our names, too.
We spend at least five hours together every week, without fail, sharing conversation. We show family photos. We talk politics and health. We tell jokes. We reveal nicknames. We’ve become friends.
My fellow volunteers and I have no illusions that our presence will stop ICE from showing up and abducting people. However, our presence does communicate to workers that “you are welcome here, and you are not alone.” We have built a bridge between people who didn’t know each other before and who now look forward to each visit.
This community-building is in sharp and intentional contrast to the division, cruelty, and hatred being spewed out by the Trump administration. We are creating connections, sharing kindness, and showing up as love.
Our presence at the corner is not an act of charity. It’s about living out the very best values of this country. If we stand by idly while others are scapegoated and treated unjustly, that threatens all of us and shakes the foundations of our democracy.
Ultimately, by showing up for our immigrant neighbors, we are also showing up to save ourselves and to save our country.
It’s amazing what fresh pan dulce and conversation in a parking lot can accomplish.
Chris Megargee lives in Shoreline, Washington.
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