South Lake Tahoe group collecting items for migrant children in Tijuana

A group of locals from South Lake Tahoe are leaving town next weekend with backpacks filled with stuffed animals, toys, books, art supplies and more that will go to migrant children living with their families in shelters in Tijuana.

John Friedrich, his wife Kim and daughter Rosie will be going to Mexico joined by another local, Joanna Lilly, with the collected items. They've had help from the Bijou Community School PTA and South Tahoe Middle School (STMS) Spanish Teacher Krissi Russell.

The backpacks will contain letters written in Spanish by students at Bijou Community School and STMS. The students also donated supplies for the kids from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and other places from which they are often fleeing violence or desperate conditions.

On Wednesday, June 19, there will be a donation gathering event for Toys for Tijuana at Los Mexicanos restaurant from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. They will be welcoming additional items to fill the backpacks and writing letters to the migrant families. There is a big need for kid-sized backpacks.

If you can't make it Wednesday, but would like to donate to "Toys for Tijuana,:" you can contribute to this fundraising effort being hosted by the Bijou School PTA HERE.

Los Mexicanos is located at 1000 Herbert Ave, South Lake Tahoe.