It takes a lot of awesome people working together to bring the joy of Christmas to the kids at the Orphanages, purchase the supplies they need, fund our community food distributions and travel to Creel and La Junta to make it happen. Here is what you can do to be involved:

1. Sponsor a kid (or kids) for Christmas! This is a fun and inexpensive way to make a direct positive impact in the life of a child. We take a Christmas gift to each kid that was selected just for them! We will provide you with a photo of the kid or kids you sponsor. You can purchase the gifts and give them to us to deliver, or you can send your gift donation in cash and we will purchase the gift for you. The budget for each child is $30, and you can see the instructions for packing and sending a gift in the Gift Guidelines tab on this website.

2. Donate money to our group! You can make a general donation towards orphanage supplies or our community food distribution. These donations are only used for these purposes, as all travel expenses are either paid for by the travelers or underwritten by donation made specifically for travel purposes. We do not have any administrative or other costs.

3. You can become an Aljaba Traveler! Our travel group is ever changing as each year different volunteers sign up to make the journey down to the orphanages. We leave from Albuquerque, cross the border near El Paso at Santa Theresa, and them drive 500 miles through Chihuahua to reach La Junta and Creel. We usually stay overnight at a motel in El Paso before crossing the border, then sleep at the orphanage in La Junta where they have spare rooms and beds, and lastly stay in a small inn in Creel. Our trips are 4-6 days depending on the schedules of the travelers. We spend most of our time with the kids, but always budget time to do some sightseeing at the Copper Canyon.

We have a van that can comfortably travel with 10-11 travelers and we add vehicles as necessary. Travel in Mexico is generally safe, and we have had no negative experiences in all our years of making the trip. The total drive time from Albuquerque to Creel is about 15 hours. You must have a passport to enter into Mexico, and the travel costs are generally $200-$400 per traveler, but are sometimes underwritten by travel donations. If you are interested in traveling, call Jeff Jinnett at (505)690-0997 for more information and details.

Here is how to donate:

• If you want to sponsor a child and purchase the gift yourself, contact Jeff Jinnett at jeffjinn@hotmail.com to get a photo and the information on your child. If you are in the Albuquerque area we will arrange to pick up your gifts. Don’t forget to check out the Gift Guidelines tab before shopping! You can also mail them to:

Jeff Jinnett

1212 San Miguel St.

Bernalillo, NM 87004

• If you want to sponsor a child and have us purchase the gift, send $30 for each child. Checks should be made out to Jeff Jinnett and mailed to the above address. Write “Gift Sponsor” on description line. You can also send your donation using the Venmo code below.

• If you want to make a donation specifically to go towards supplies for the orphanages, food for our community food distributions, funds for travel expenses or just make a general donation to be used for the greatest need, send your funds via check or Venmo and we will use them per your instructions.