Signup to Donate Furnishings
Day 6
Today was the first Sunday opportunity to “advertise” our new refugee family to our church congregation. We’re looking for donations of furniture and household goods, things that we can use to turn an empty house into a comfortable home.
A member of our team put together a complete list of furnishings and household items required for a family of eight. For some items we just need one per family. For other items we need one per person. The complete list is posted on the wall at church.
We also had a list of needed items included in the church bulletin. This way people were already thinking before they walked out of church and saw the sign-up sheet.
By having a couple team members available near the sign-up sheets we were able to answer questions and encourage further contributions.
Some of the items on the sign-up sheet are required to meet obligations to the U.S. State Department. These requirements protect the refugees, ensuring that they have met a basic standard of living and are not just being dumped into tough conditions in a new country.
We strive to have all items covered by the time the refugee family moves into their own place. In this case that means this coming weekend or the following when we will have a “move in day.”
We also took a picture of the house they are going to be moving into. We want them to see it so they can start get excited about moving out on their own. Normally we’ve found that the refugee families just want to get settled down. In this case that settling down moves them away from relatives, so we have to be a little more careful about feelings.
