Puerto Aventuras Migrant Shelter Issues Urgent Call for Food and Basic Supplies

Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo — A migrant shelter in Puerto Aventuras is asking the community for urgent donations of food, toiletries and cleaning products as it assists migrants in transit and Mexican citizens deported from the United States.

“We need help urgently,” the Centro de Atención al Migrante said in a community appeal. “Everything you can contribute will be welcome.”

The shelter is seeking fresh fruit, bread, toilet paper, shampoo, toothpaste and household cleaning supplies. The appeal directs residents and businesses to coordinate contributions through WhatsApp at 984 108 7192.

City recently assessed conditions at the shelter

The appeal follows a municipal visit to the Puerto Aventuras facility earlier this month. On Sept. 1, Playa del Carmen’s General Secretariat said officials had completed a diagnostic inspection of the temporary shelter to identify its most pressing needs and coordinate assistance. The municipality announced that its Migrant Assistance Unit and local faith communities were preparing a volunteer workday that would include a general cleaning of the installations.

The stated goal was to provide a safer, cleaner and more dignified space for people staying there. The municipality refers to the Centro de Atención al Migrante property as a temporary shelter. The facility has been used for other emergency purposes in the past, including as a cyclone shelter during Hurricane Grace in 2021.

Help for migrants and returning Mexicans

According to the appeal, the center assists both foreign migrants and Mexican nationals who have been deported from the United States. Those groups can arrive with different needs. Migrants passing through the region may require temporary accommodation, food and help navigating immigration or refugee procedures. Deportees returning to Mexico may need identification documents, transportation and assistance reconnecting with relatives or public services.

Playa del Carmen maintains a municipal Migrant Assistance Unit that provides guidance on residency, naturalization, foreign birth records and applications for refugee protection on humanitarian grounds. The service includes help preparing paperwork for agencies such as the National Migration Institute and the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance.

The city has also been working toward a cooperation agreement with the federal refugee commission to improve assistance and integration services for refugees living in the municipality.

The new donation appeal, however, focuses on more immediate needs: something to eat, personal-hygiene products and the supplies required to keep the shelter functioning from day to day.

How the community can help

Fresh food donations can meet an urgent need but require coordination because bread and fruit spoil quickly and the shelter’s refrigeration and storage capacity have not been made public. Residents, restaurants, hotels and grocery stores interested in contributing should first ask which products are needed most and when someone will be available to receive them.

The current requested items include:

• Fresh fruit and bread
• Toilet paper
• Shampoo and toothpaste
• Household cleaning products
• Other unopened food, hygiene and daily-use supplies

The request offers Puerto Aventuras residents a direct way to assist people arriving in the community under difficult circumstances. Donors can contact the center through WhatsApp at 984 108 7192 to confirm current needs and arrange delivery.