Service Project #1: School Kits for Refugees

For those of you who are not aware, there is a group in Lane County that was formed by volunteers from many different faith-based and community-based groups called the Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County. Because the flow of refugees to the U.S. slowed to a trickle during the past two years, they recently have begun to include asylum-seekers as well as refugees (i.e., those who are fleeing war, violence, or persecution in their country of origin). The volunteers work hard to help people find housing, learn English, get a job, and establish their legal right to live peacefully in our community.

 As Tom Mulhern, Executive Director of Catholic Community Services of Lane County, Inc. stated,

“These are small, practical actions, but they have a broader social impact.  That’s because, when you sit down with someone and help them learn English, you don’t see them as a label, you see them as a person.  That experience helps build a more peaceful, welcoming and inclusive community and society.”

LHC has been partnering with the Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County over the last two years to help in simple ways that still make a large impact. We learned that a group affiliated with the Refugee Resettlement Coalition called the Mennonite Central Committee collects and assembles school kits and relief kits to send to refugee camps overseas. You can learn more about these kits on their website.

Basic school supplies are treasured items for families who are unable to afford them. School kits are sometimes requested after disasters and help bring a sense of normalcy to children whose families have been forced to flee their homes. According to the Mennonite Central Committee:

“79,557 sshipped last year to Jordan, Lebanon, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and the U.S.”

Here’s where YOU come in!

two ways YOU can help:

1. Sew one or more drawstring bags, in which we will be packing the school supplies kits. Below is a graphic from the Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County that explains how to sew the bags.

   • If you don’t sew or don’t have a sewing machine, no worries! You can compile the school supplies in an alternate bag or box and the RRCLC will transfer them to cloth bags.

2. Compile the school supply kits. Please see the graphic below for what needs to be included in each kit. *Note that they ask for ALL METAL pencil sharpeners. Plastic pencil sharpeners are not accepted. If you have trouble finding them, you can always compile the kits without the pencil sharpeners and the RRCLC can add them later.

   • For more detailed information and a video on how to compile these school kits, head to the MCC website by clicking here.

Please contact Becky Schenk at the Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County to drop off your donations.

Return to Kit #8