Refugee Work Party

Yesterday afternoon, many helpers gathered at St. James Church to sort through all the donated items in preparation for taking them north to Refugee Headquarters...

Lots of towels went into big marked bags to make up bathroom kits.

This beautiful wall hanging will brighten someone's apartment.

There was an abundance of kitchen and bathroom items and many pieces of furniture.  Next step is renting the U-Haul and actually driving the donations up to Colchester....

Another Successful Drop Off...

Sunday afternoon from one to five, St. James Episcopal Church hosted another Drop Off date to benefit refugee resettlement in Vermont...

Two friends of refugees with some of their donated items...

Volunteers took in many items, including two queen sized mattresses and box springs, a dining table and chairs, and four upholstered dining chairs, along with several kits.  

As always, monetary donations are very welcome.  Checks can be made out to VT Refugee Resettlement Program and sent to St. James Church, 2 St. James Place. Woodstock, VT  05091. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Drop Off to Benefit Refugees in Vermont

This Sunday, January 24th, from 1 pm to 5 pm, St. James Church, on the Green, in Woodstock, VT will be accepting donations of items to be used in helping to re-settle refugees in Vermont in the coming year.  Please note that we cannot accept clothing and all used items should be “gently used”.

LIVING ROOM ITEMS:  sofas (no sleep sofas), side chairs, coffee tables, carpets and floor lamps

BEDROOM ITEMS:  dressers, table lamps, bed frames, box frames and mattresses (no king sizes)

KITCHEN ITEMS:  cooking pots (large ones especially needed), saute pans, frying pans, baking dishes, mixing bowls, spatulas, wooden spoons, cutting boards, cutting knives, knife sharpeners and can openers

Your generosity in donating these items as well as bathroom supplies and personal care items will be greatly appreciated.

Refugee Film Shown in Woodstock

Last night at Town Hall Theater in Woodstock, Vermont, approximately 130 people gathered to learn about how best to welcome refugees to Vermont.   The film "Welcome to Vermont: Four Stories of Resettled Identity" told the story of four families who resettled in Vermont in the past several years.  The Reverend Norman McLeod introduced Khem and Umesh Acharya from Bhutan. 

The brothers, in their mid-twenties, spent twenty years in refugee camps before resettling in Vermont.  Khem, on the left, is studying computer technology and Umesh, on the right, is a poet who plans to become a neurophysicist.

  

Laurie Stavrand, Community Outreach Coordinator of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, was with us and answered questions after the film.  

St. James Church, 2 St. James Place, has been designated as the Woodstock drop off site for new or gently used household items to welcome our new neighbors and two dates have been planned:

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, from 9 am to 3 pm

and 

TUESDAY JANUARY 19, from 9 am to 1 pm

If you have questions, contact us at woodstockrefugeesupport@gmail.com.   You can also fill out a response card online at http://goo.gl/forms/vhSYEXWdE6

"Welcome to Vermont"

"Welcome to Vermont: Four Stories of Resettled Identity"

A Documentary Film by Mira Niagolova

Please come to the Woodstock Town Hall Theater tonight, Thursday, January 7, at 7 pm for a free screening of a film about the daily lives of four families from Bosnia, Somalia, Iraq, and Rwanda who have recently resettled in Vermont.

The  film will be followed by a discussion about practical ways we in the Woodstock area can help the refugees currently arriving in Vermont. The discussion will be facilitated by Laurie Stavrand of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program.