Since arriving in Chicago on April 30, Maria Goitia said she’s been thankful for all the people who have crossed her path. There were some who fed her and her family, a group of eight including two young grandchildren, while others gave them coats to keep warm, and many more who had been there through their journey from Venezuela, one way or another.

       “But we couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help; we’re extremely grateful for everything and everyone who’s helped us to get to this day,” the mother said.

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       On Tuesday morning, Goitia and her family met with Hope Vaughn, one of the people they first met when they arrived in Chicago, in one of the many buses sent from Texas with asylum-seekers. The family helped cook their first-ever Thanksgiving dinner, sharing it with other migrants and volunteers at St. Agatha Catholic Church in North Lawndale that evening.