WHO WE ARE

Building a Bigger Table is a humanitarian community that supports asylum seekers, refugees and migrants. We are a committee of First Parish Brewster Unitarian Universalist (FPBUU) on Cape Cod. Our group is made up of dedicated individuals who believe in creating a welcoming community for those who have been displaced from their homes due to persecution, human rights violations, armed conflict or other reasons.

WHAT WE DO

Building a Bigger Table works with displaced families in need of support. By developing relationships with families, we can effectively determine how to help them while providing them with a supportive community. We connect families with appropriate resources, assist them with finding housing and employment, and offer financial assistance to individuals, as well as other groups doing impactful work.

Building a Bigger Table has been actively involved in supporting the migrants housed on Cape Cod as part of the Healey administration's response to the increasing number of migrant families in need of shelter. Outreach efforts are ongoing but include providing clothing, offering a social knitting group, and teaching ESL classes.

We hold several events throughout the year to raise funds as well as awareness of what we are doing and how others can help.

OUR HISTORY

Building a Bigger Table was founded in 2019 by Pat and Sue Gubbins of Dennis, Massachusetts, in response to the migrant crisis at the border. They heard firsthand accounts of the situation from their friend, Stephen Michael Tumolo (founder of Heart to Heart), who had visited Kino Border Initiative (KBI) in Nogales, Mexico.

The Gubbins’ decided to open their home and offer hospitality and safety to a displaced family. However, when they contacted KBI, they discovered that there were two families in desperate need of assistance. The Gubbins’ were unprepared.

Pat and Sue attended a demonstration at First Parish Brewster Unitarian Universalist (FPBUU) held to protest the separation of migrant families at the border. They connected with Sue Bowser and other members of FPBUU who were eager to help. Together, they formed Building a Bigger Table (BBT) and, led by Anne Walsh, held their first fundraiser in November 2019. The group was met with overwhelming support from the community; they were now prepared to help.

Due to legal changes preventing migrants from entering the U.S., KBI no longer had anyone in need of housing. However, Annunciation House, a sister organization in El Paso, was sheltering a pregnant woman from Ghana who had been separated from her husband when he was detained in Texas.

Sue and Pat reached out to the woman and told her about BBT. She flew to Boston on November 24, 2019, and settled into the Gubbins’ home; she was eight months pregnant. She gave birth on December 27th at Cape Cod Hospital. Among other things, Building a Bigger Table helped her secure health insurance, provided her with clothing, and drove her to appointments. BBT also hired an attorney for her husband and raised bond money to free him. The Ghanaian family was finally reunited at the Gubbins’ home at the end of January 2020.

During their first year, BBT provided supplies and financial assistance to people turned away at the border, and became involved with local efforts to help migrants in need. BBT continued to grow in size and scope, but remained committed to providing personal support to the individuals and groups they served.