First Friends is an organization of volunteers who visit people detained at the Elizabeth Detention Center (EDC). Many detainees know no one in the United States, so a First Friends visitor may be their only link to the outside. First Friends provides training sessions so prospective volunteers understand what to expect when visiting detained refugees at the Elizabeth Detention Center. New visitors will be matched with a more experienced visitor who will accompany them on their first visit(s). Volunteer visitors are matched with detainees who have let First Friends know that they wish to have a visitor.
Training for volunteer visitors is held on the last Monday of each month at 7:00 PM at the First Friends office, 321 South Broad Street in Elizabeth, NJ. Please contact us by phone (908-965-0455) or e-mail (firstfriends2@juno.com) to let us know you will be attending the training. The office is open most days from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM. You can always leave a message and your call will be returned.
In addition to the visitors' program, First Friends supports those detained at the EDC through Project Stamp Out Despair. Twice a year, Stamp Out Despair provides detainees with gifts of writing materials to help them stay in contact with family and friends and to let them know there are people in the U.S. who care about their plight. It's a great project for schools, religious groups, and other organizations to get involved with.
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