Restoring Dignity Sunday, June 9th, 2013

“Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, defend orphans, plead for the widow.”

(Isaiah 1:16b)

******Before & After Video is at the Bottom of This Page*****

Their Story

Ten months ago, a Somali family of 11 came to the United States, seeking a permanent home after being in a refugee camp in Rwanda for 8 years. Originally from Somalia, they were forced to flee from their home due to extreme violence between rival warlords that has destroyed the infrastructure of the country.* The mother is 8 months pregnant with their tenth child, and is due to deliver the week before we come in to bless their home. The children are enrolled in school, and are learning how to speak English. As well, the mother and father are both taking English classes, and the mother can speak and understand English very well, considering she has only had 10 months to learn. This family has seen more violence, experienced more chaos, and had to live in an environment of instability; more than most of us have or ever will experience in our lifetime. We want to bless them with basic household items, and bring them hope that things will get better from this point on. The ages of the children is as follows: newborn (sex unknown, baby is not born yet), Girls: 3, 14, 16, 17; Boys: 6, 8, 10, 11, 13.

The Pictures

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The Solution

On Sunday, June 9th, 2013, we are going to bring a team of volunteers into this family’s apartment to help clean, organize, and transform it into a place of peace and hope for them. We will use donated items (as requested below) to achieve this purpose.

Supplies Needed

Kitchen

• Large kitchen table
• Small Table
• Kitchen Chairs (as many as possible)
• Dishes (plates, bowls, cups)
• Silverware
• Tupperware
• Large plastic container (to store flour in)
• Plastic storage bags (quart size bags, freezer gallon bags, sandwich bags)
• Garbage bags
• Saran wrap, aluminum foil
• Cutting board
• Mop bucket
• Drawer and cupboard liners
• (2) lamps

Bathroom

• Towels (full, hand, and face)
• (12) Toothbrushes
• Toothbrush holder
• Toothpaste
• Toilet paper
• Feminine pads
• Hand soap
• Shower organizer (hangs on shower sprayer)
• Shampoo
• Lotion
• Shower Curtain and Liner

Bedrooms

• (1) bunk bed frame
• (1) futon frame
• (1) twin mattress
• (1) full size mattress, box springs, and frame
• (1) queen size frame
• Zippered plastic mattress covers to help with bed bugs, twin, full, queen sizes ($8 at Walmart for twin size mattresses)
• (15) new pillows ($3 at Target or Walmart)
• (10) (15) Pillow cases (used or new)
• (3) dressers
• Hangers
• Organization containers, etc. There are a lot of people in a small space, so we need to make things more functional and organized.
• Curtains and curtain rods for all windows
• Pictures for the rooms/decorations
• Sheets (all sizes)
• Bedspreads
• Baby toys/children’s toys/children’s clothing (especially socks and new underwear)/children’s shoes (all in good used condition)
• Children’s books
• School supplies
• Bassinet (for the new baby)
• Baby items/diapers/wipes, anything a baby uses

Living Room

• Recliner/nursing rocking chair for mother
• (2 or 3) couches/love seats
• Shoe organizer (closet or floor)
• Decorations (pictures, figurines)
• Hanging shelves
• (2) Book shelves
• (1) computer chair
• (1) TV Stand
• (1) paper organizer (for bills)
• Vacuum with attachment (bags are better, to contain bed bugs)
• Fabric steamer (to kill bed bug eggs)

Cleaning Supplies

• Degreaser
• Bleach
• Chemical spray bottle
• Gloves (to clean with)
• Rags
• Sponges
• Paper towels
• Windex
• Dish soap
• Toilet bowl cleaner

Drop-Off:

All items can be dropped off at:

4019 Lafayette Avenue Omaha, NE, 68131

If no one is home, please leave the items on the porch. We sort all of our donations here, and then transfer them to the family’s house on the weekend of action. Directions: Drive to 40th and Cuming Street, turn North on 40th street, go three blocks, and turn west onto Lafayette Avenue. House is light blue with a light brown porch, and a large tree in the front yard.

Schedule of the Weekend:

Sunday, June 9th , 2013

10:00am-6:00pm

There will be four shifts available:

• Shift one: 10am-12pm : This shift is for people who want to help with cleaning, organizing clothes, steaming, carpet cleaning
• Shift two: 12pm-2pm: This shift is for people who want to help with cleaning, organizing clothes, steaming, carpet cleaning
• Shift three: 2pm-4pm: This shift is for those who can help move furniture into the apartment, and help build and fix things.
• Shift four: 4pm-6pm: This shift is for those who would like to help decorate, arrange furniture, hang pictures, etc.

Sign up for shifts can be found at the Restoring Dignity Sign Up Page.

How to Get Involved:

• Donate items:

We couldn’t do these projects without our donors! They are the heart of these projects! Please let me know what you can donate, and I will take it off of the list above. If someone would like to “adopt” a member of this family or a room in the apartment, by fulfilling the donations needs for that area, let me know. Otherwise, if you have any items in your house that you no longer need or use, please consider donating it to these projects. Your donations truly do make a direct impact on families in need.

• Donate Gift Cards

On the day of our projects, we often run low on basic cleaning supplies, hardware for hanging curtains, light bulbs, paper towels, toilet paper, and plastic bed wraps to keep down bed bug populations, among other items. Gift cards to major home stores or hardware stores (Target, Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc) are greatly appreciated and bridge the supply gap on project days. Contact Hannah (restoringdignity@live.com) or (402) 305-8139, if you are interested in donating a gift card.

• Volunteer:

For this project, we need a minimum of 20 volunteers, ideally 30 volunteers, spaced out over the course of the day. Our volunteers will clean, organize, steam bed bugs in mattresses and in corners, and decorate. The more volunteers, the faster we can accomplish our goals. We would love to have you join our team! Please visit our Restoring Dignity Sign Up Page to add yourself to one of our two hours shifts. If you would like to help for a half or full-day, that option is also available.

• Spread the word:

Tell your friends and family about this project! They might have an extra lamp or a bunk bed frame that is no longer used. Re-post this blog on your facebook, or email it. The more people that know about these projects, the more donations and volunteers.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK:

Restoring Dignity has a facebook Group that is regularly updated. Please join our group: Restoring Dignity Omaha Facebook Group.

Contact us:

Before & After Video