Restoring Dignity #20

Saturday, June 11th, 2016

“…I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you made me your guest, I needed clothes and you provided them, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me…”

(Matthew 25:35-36)

*****Before & After video is at the bottom of the page*****

Their Story

Three months ago, a Karen single mother and her four children, ages 12 (girl), 10 (boy), 8 (girl), and 2 (girl), were relocated from a Thai refugee camp to Omaha, Nebraska. The civil war in Burma forced them out of their homeland, and for 16 years they waited in a refugee camp for a chance at a new life. For many refugees, relocation to a different country never happens. Only 1% of displaced people worldwide are relocated to developed nations. In February 2016, the U.S. Government accepted this mother and her children as refugees to the United States. The decision to come to America was not easy – being a single mother with no family support outside of the camps would be very difficult. However, with her family’s best interest in mind, she took the risk and moved.

These past few months have been bittersweet. The new freedoms and larger living space have been warmly welcomed. However, being separated from family, and not having a stable income yet, has brought about challenges. A looming issue has been the lack of household items: their apartment is missing many essentials that make it easier to flourish. Restoring Dignity found out about their situation and decided to take action. On Saturday, June 11th, 2016, we will bring much needed household items, teach the family further cleaning and organizational skills, and will bring hope to their new life. Join us!

The Pictures

The Solution

We are taking action on Saturday, June 11th, 2016 from 10am-6pm, to provide this family with much needed household, cleaning and organizational items. Come join us to bring hope, encouragement, and blessings to them!

Supplies Needed

Please sign-up for items you will donate on our sign-up page. Red items are still needed.

Kitchen

• Microwave
• (5) Kitchen chairs
• Kitchen towels
• Cooking utensils
• Clock
• Silverware
• Wash rags
• Kitchen rug
• Broom w/ dust pan
• Large plastic air-tight container (to store rice)
• Plastic storage bags (quart size bags, freezer gallon bags, sandwich bags)
• Garbage bags
• Saran wrap
• Aluminum foil
• Cutting board
• Mop
• Mop bucket
• Drawer and cupboard liners
• Bulletin board
• Tupperware
• Trash can

Bathroom

• Towels (full, hand, and face)
• (5) toothbrushes
• Toothbrush holder
• Toothpaste
• Toilet paper
• Hand soap
• Shampoo (adult and kids)
• Lotion
• Bath rug
• Shower curtain & liner
• (5) loofahs
• (5) bathroom shower caddies
• (5) Deodorant
• Toilet brush
• Feminine pads
• Medium size trash can
• Make-up for 12 y/o and for mom
• Baby bath toys
• (4) Diapers (size 3 and 4)

Kid’s Room:

•  (2) twin mattresses (new or gently used)
• (1) bunk bed frame
• (6) new pillows
• (3) twin size plastic zippered plastic bed bug proof mattress protector *(must be “bed bug” proof)
• (3) twin washable mattress pads
• (200) hangers
• (2)  Hanging shoe racks
• Small nightstand
• New underwear 
• New socks
• Small trash can
• (2) Dressers
• Little table 
• Small bookshelf
• Books appropriate for 12, 10, and 8 year old
• Kid decorations

Mom & 2 year old girl’s Room:

• (2)  Hanging shoe racks
• (1) dresser
• (1) bookshelf
• (1) full size plastic zippered plastic bed bug proof mattress protector *(must be “bed bug” proof)
• (1) full size washable mattress protector pad
• (4) new pillows
• Small nightstand
• Small desk lamp
• (100) hangers
• (2) laundry baskets (heavy-duty)
• Medium size garbage can
• Floor lamp
• Toys for 2 year old girl
• Books for 2 year old

Living Room

• Couch
• TV
• TV stand
• Computer chair
• Computer/homework desk
• (1) paper organizer (for bills)
• (1) picture album
• Picture frames
• (2) bookshelves

WISH LIST

• Family computer or laptop for homework
• The 12 y/o girl likes decorations/pictures that are the color pink
• The 10 y/o boy likes the color green
• The 8 y/o girl likes the color yellow

Cleaning Supplies

• Bathroom cleaner
• Degreaser (Mr. Clean)
• (4) Boxes of gloves (disposable and non-disposable)
• Windex
• Dawn dish soap
• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Carpet cleaning solution
• Magic erasers
• Light bulbs (40W to 100W and several 3-way bulbs)
• Batteries (double AA, triple AAA)

Restoring Dignity Needs

• Truck to transport larger items to the family’s apartment on Saturday, June 11th, 2016
• Lunch for afternoon and all-day volunteers (pizza, sandwiches, etc.)
• Quality tall step ladder (to access items on the storage shelves)
• Storage totes with lids

Drop-Off:

There are two ways to drop-off items: (1) At our new storage unit, or (2) on the day of the project at the family’s home. If you plan on dropping off donations at the family’s home, please contact us for their address, and plan on having all items dropped off between 10am-11am, the day of the project.

Store Unit Location:

The Restoring Dignity storage unit is located in the garages behind the Omar Baking Building (4383 Nicholas St. Omaha, NE, 68131–the storage unit is in a fenced-in lot on the  corner of 45th and Izard street.

Map of Restoring Dignity Storage Unit

Drop-offs at the storage unit will be on the following dates and times:

Drop-off times:

Saturday, May 28th, 2016 9:00am-11:00am

Saturday, June 4th, 2016 10:00am-1:00pm

**Please note that there will not be any pick-ups for this project. If you are bringing large items, you can drop them off at the location mentioned above, or you can bring them the day of the project. Many apologies for this inconvenience.**

Schedule of the Weekend:

Saturday, June 11th, 2016

10:00am-6:00pm

There are multiple shifts available:

• Pre-Shift: Saturday, June 4th 2016 10am-1pm: This shift involves getting donations ready for the project date. At the Restoring Dignity Storage Unit.
• On the project date (Saturday, June 11th, 2016):
  • Shift one: 10am-12pm : This shift is for people who want to help with cleaning, organizing clothes, steaming, carpet cleaning, & fixing items.
  • Shift two: 12pm-2pm: This shift is for people who want to help with cleaning, organizing clothes, steaming, carpet cleaning, and building items.
  • Shift three: 2pm-4pm: This shift is for those who can help move furniture into the apartment, build, & decorate.
  • Shift four: 4pm-6pm: This shift is for those who would like to help decorate, arrange furniture, hang pictures, etc.
  • Half-Day: 10am-2pm: This shift is for someone who would like to have a Restoring Dignity immersion.
  • Half-Day: 2pm-6pm: This shift is for someone who would like to have a Restoring Dignity immersion.
  • Full Day: 10am-6pm: This shift is for someone who is looking for a full-immersion with Restoring Dignity.
  • Handyperson shift (anytime between 10am-6pm): This shift is for a person who is skilled with tools, can help fix broken items in the home, can assemble beds and other furniture, and can hang pictures.
  • Photographer shift: This shift is for someone who can bring their own professional camera and can take pictures throughout the course of the day
• Post-shift: Saturday, June 25th, 2016, 10am-12pm. This shift involves putting away all donations and items not used on the project date. Also includes a quick re-organizing of the storage unit.

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

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How to Get Involved:

• Donate items:

We could not do these projects without our donors! They are the heart of these projects! Please let us know what you can donate, and we will take the items 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 needed for that area, let us know. Otherwise, if you have any items in your house that you no longer need or use, please consider donating them to these projects. Your donations truly do make a direct impact on families in need. To donate items to this family, visit our volunteer and donation sign up page.

• 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 help to 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. If you would like to mail a gift card, please address it to: Restoring Dignity c/o Hannah Wyble, 3505 Hawthorne Avenue, Omaha, NE, 68131.

• Donate via check

Restoring Dignity has recently merged and become a program under Southern Sudan Community Association (SSCA), a non-profit refugee resettlement agency. Tax-deductible donations can be made to Restoring Dignity via SSCA. Checks can be mailed to:

SSCA c/o Restoring Dignity

3610 Dodge Street, Suite 100  

Omaha NE  68131

Restoring Dignity is ran by volunteers, so 100% of all donations go directly to our projects.

• Volunteer:

For this project, we need a minimum of 50 volunteers, ideally 60 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 goal. 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 hour shifts. If you would like to help for a half or full-day, that option is also available.

• Mentor a refugee family

Did you know that hundreds of refugee families are resettled in Omaha every year? If each of them had an American family who could provide mentorship for at least one year, many of the issues that Restoring Dignity steps in to help with could be avoided. If you are interested in mentoring a refugee family (including this one!), contact Southern Sudan Community Association, as they have a mentoring program that is in need of many American volunteers: http://sscaomaha.info/volunteer-opportunities/.

• Spread the word:

Tell your friends and family about this project! They might have an extra lamp or a dresser that is no longer in use. Re-post this blog on your Facebook page, or email it to people you know. 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:

Hannah Wyble

Volunteer Director, Restoring Dignity Omaha

Call or text:

402-305-8139