Faculty and staff are coordinating a drive to collect critical items needed to help migrants found in the desert.

The University of Arizona’s Mexican American Studies & Research Center, the Binational Migration Institute and the student-run Global Health Alliance are working with other organizations to launch a collection campaign for No More Deaths, a Southern Arizona organization that is working to end migrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The event will be held Friday from noon to 1 p.m. on the second floor of the Cesar Chavez Building. For those who cannot attend the event, a drop-off bin will be placed near Room 208 of the building.

Everyone is encouraged to donate socks, hats, single-strap sandals, adult T-shirts and tennis shoes as well as first-aid items, such as medical tape, moleskin, gauze rolls, large-sized Band-Aids and cotton balls. Baby wipes and diapers would also be greatly appreciated.

“As a new faculty member in Mexican American studies, I thought it would be one way to support the humanitarian work of No More Deaths and to bring more attention to the immigration issue, which is right here in our backyard,” said Rosario Carrillo, a UA assistant professor.

“We’re piggybacking on her (Carrillo’s) work and will have some literature out there,” said Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith, coordinator for the Binational Migration Institute, which is part of the Mexican American Studies & Research Center and studies the effect of immigration enforcement policy.

The event also will be a recruiting opportunity for the institute, which is looking for graduate and undergraduate students to participate in research, Rubio Goldsmith added.