(Update: The idea I’m looking at is to ask people to buy a gift certificate to a grocery chain near most of the refugee families and send the certificate to me (the mail to Bishop Maginn may be disrupted next week. I’ll get it to them, and they will get it to families. More later. These can be used, even beyond this crisis. In the meantime, we can distribute the food we sent them on last week’s Wish List. This feels right to me.)

Bishop Maginn High School – you have been so generous to them – announced last night that it is closing for at least one-week beginning Monday. The school is preparing care packages for hungry or needy students using the food which we, fortunately, sent them last week.

School officials will meet next week to figure out what is coming next and I asked to participate to see if we can be of some assistance. Thanks to the many people who have messaged me asking how we can help.

The first question is, how long with the closing last? If it’s only one week, we can help to make sure everybody and their families have enough food.

If it’s longer, I believe we will need to purchase some Wi-Fi boosters for families willing to host small groups of students, so the teachers can communicate with them, teach and assign homework.

The Catholic Church is committed to helping these children, but money is very tight in that world.

One idea is to raise some money to buy gift certificates for local groceries so the refugee students and families can buy food. I know some of the refugee parents are already getting laid off and things will get even harder for them.

I want to say the school is very committed to caring for and educating these children, the teachers and staff are already working hard to figure out what is needed and how this new circumstance can work.

I’ve already begun fund-raising for the boosters, I am certain we will need some.  If necessary, we’ll put up a wish list. I don’t want to purchase anything until I meet with the school administration and understand what is likely to happen.

If the time comes, I can buy some, and the Army of Good can buy some. The Wi-Fi being boosted will all belong to the few families who have Wi-Fi or to some local institutions opening-up some cleaned and disinfected rooms.

Despite the concerns about Community Spread – an epidemic phrase right now – these children cannot be expected to roam freely around city streets because they have no place to go and nothing to do, and all their education disrupted.

Talk about spreading disease.

I’m opening up the Refugee Fund to be ready to help the school support these children: via Paypal, [email protected], or by check, Jon Katz, Refugee Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

I will let you know whatever I know as soon as I know it, and thanks for your support, it is a miracle for these children, now more than ever.

P.S. For those of you concerned about the Mansion, which is now closed to visitors, my idea for this coming week is to do something they love a lot: buy some different meals for them, especially pizza and Chinese Food.

I’ll see if I can organize something on Monday. Stay tuned. Meals are important there, and interesting food brought it is a big spirit booster. Without visitors, life will get lonelier for them.