Restoring Dignity #10

Saturday, March 29th, 2014

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

(Isaiah 1:16b)

*****BEFORE & AFTER VIDEO IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE*****

Their Story

Four years ago, a Karenni family of five came from a refugee camp in Thailand to the United States to start a new life. The now 59 year old widowed mother lost her husband 10 years ago in the camps, and has had to support her four children by herself. Shortly after arriving in the United States, her oldest son, now 29, was in a catastrophic car accident and lost both of his legs. While he is now married and living on his own, the accident took a devastating toll on the mother. She now lives with her other three sons, ages 16.5, 20, and 24 in a two bedroom apartment. Her two youngest attend high school, and the 24 year old works at a local packing plant. While life for this family has settled down over the past year, they are still in need of household items that have been unaffordable for them up to this point.  Additionally, it has been very hard on the mother to lose her husband, go through her son’s accident, and raise and support four boys by herself. We hope to alleviate some of this burden, and help to restore hope into this family’s life. Join us on Saturday, March 29th, 2014.

The Pictures

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The Solution

We are taking action on Saturday, March 24, 2014 from 10am-6pm, to provide this family with much needed household items, organization, and to teach them how to use cleaning supplies. Come join us to help bring hope, encouragement, and blessings to this family!

Supplies Needed

Kitchen

• New large rice cooker (20 cups)
• Dishes
• Cups
• Silverware
• Clock
• Kitchen towels
• Wash rags
• Broom w/ dust pan
• Large plastic air-tight container (to store rice in…Target has a nice one found here: http://www.target.com/p/dog-feeding-bb-50lb-storage/-/A-14493966#prodSlot=medium_1_3&term=dog food container)
• 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
• Wall calendar
• Bulletin board
• Pots and pans (new or gently used)

Bathroom

• Towels (full, hand, and face)
• (4) toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
• Toilet paper
• Hand soap
• Shampoo
• Lotion
• Bath rug
• Shower curtain & liner
• (4) loofahs
• Shower head organizer
• (4) Deodorant
• Toilet brush
• Dining room table
• (4) dining room chairs

Bedrooms

• (1) twin bed (frame, mattress, boxspring), preferably new, but gently used also accepted
• (1) full mattress, box spring, frame
• (1) queen bed (frame, mattress, boxspring), preferably new, but gently used also accepted
• (1) queen size zippered plastic mattress covers to help with bed bugs
• (2) twin size zippered plastic mattress covers to help with bed bugs
• (8) new pillows ($3 at Target or Walmart)
• (8) Pillow cases (used or new)
• (2) dressers
• Hangers
• Organization containers for closet
• Hanging shoe rack
• Laundry hamper
• Pictures for the rooms/decorations (the mother’s favorite color is red, the boys like blue & soccer & music…the 16.5 year old plays guitar)
• Sheets (twin & full)
• (2) twin bedspreads (masculine)
• (1) full size bedspread
• New socks and underwear (Mother: small, Boys: men’s small)
• (2) lamps

Living Room

• (1) couch (futon might work well, as the 16.5 year old will sleep here)
• Decorations (pictures, figurines, picture frames)
• Hanging shelves
• (1) Book shelf
• (1) computer chair
• (1) paper organizer (for bills)
• Vacuum with attachment
• (2) pole lamps
• Light bulbs
• Television
• Television stand
• DVD player

Cleaning Supplies

• Degreaser (Mr. Clean)
• Bathroom cleaner
• Bleach
• Chemical spray bottle
• Boxes of gloves (disposable and non-disposable)
• Cleaning rags
• Sponges
• Paper towels
• Windex
• Dawn dish soap
• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Carpet cleaning solution
• Magic erasers

Restoring Dignity Needs

• Commercial carpet cleaner, new or gently used (we have gone through 3 home carpet cleaners and they cannot withstand the hours that are needed at these projects. Currently, we are without a carpet cleaner for our projects).
• Storage shelves and plastic bins for donation storage.
• Dolly

Drop-Off:

All items can be dropped off at:

3505 Hawthorne 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.

**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, March 29th, 2014

10:00am-6:00pm

There are multiple shifts available:

• 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.

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

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 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 help to bridge the supply gap on project days. Contact Hannah (restoringdignity@live.com) or (402) 305-8139(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: Hannah Wyble, 3505 Hawthorne Avenue, Omaha, NE, 68131.

• Volunteer:

For this project, we need a minimum of 25 volunteers, ideally 35 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 three hour 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 bed frame that is no longer in use. 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:

Hannah Vlach-Wyble

Director, Restoring Dignity Omaha

Call or text:

402-305-8139