Restoring Dignity #22

Saturday, November 5th, 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)

Sign-up to volunteer here.

Sign-up to donate items here.

Their Story

Seven years ago, a Karen family of seven (children are now ages: 20 (boy), 13 (boy), 11 (girl), 4 (girl) and 1 (boy)) came to the United States as refugees from their home country of Burma. Prior to being forced to flee from their country due to the civil war, this family owned their own farm. They successfully grew rice and many vegetables, and raised chickens, cows, and buffalos in rural Burma. Coming to America has presented a lot of challenges for them: adjusting to a new culture, learning a different language, working indoors in a factory instead of farming, and most recently, the birth of their little boy, Johnny. Johnny was born one year ago with multiple health conditions that have landed him in the hospital many times. He is currently hospitalized, and the family is unsure when he will be able to come home. Restoring Dignity found out about their situation through a home care nurse that has worked closely with this family since Johnny’s birth. Upon visiting the family, we saw their needs and have decided to take action. On Saturday, November 5th, 2016, we will help by bringing them much needed household items, teaching them cleaning and organizational skills, and providing minor home repairs. Join us by volunteering to help, by donating items, and by spreading the word!

The Pictures

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The Solution

We are taking action on Saturday, November 5th, 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 donation sign-up page. Red items are still needed.

Kitchen

• Kitchen towels
• Cooking utensils
• Clock
• Silverware
• Wash rags
• Plates
• Bowls
• Small, electric pan/table top grill
• Kitchen rug
• Broom w/ dust pan
• Metal, galvanized trash can with lid (to store rice in)
• 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
• (4) Kitchen chairs

Bathroom

• Towels (full, hand, and face)
• (7) toothbrushes
• Toothbrush holder
• Toothpaste
• Over-the-toilet storage unit/shelf
• Toilet paper
• Hand soap
• Shampoo (adult and kids)
• Lotion
• Bath rug
• Shower curtain
• Shower liner
• Shower curtain rings
• (7) loofahs
• (7) bathroom shower caddies
• (3) Deodorant
• Toilet brush
• Feminine pads
• Medium size trash can

Kid’s Rooms:

• (12) new pillows
• Toy chest
• (1) twin size plastic zippered plastic bed bug proof mattress protector *(must be “bed bug” proof)
• (2) full size plastic zippered bed bug proof mattress protectors
• (1) twin size washable mattress pad
• (2) full size washable mattress pad
• (200) hangers
• (2) Hanging shoe racks
• Small nightstand
• New underwear 
• New socks
• Small trash can
• Mirror
• (3) Dressers
• Little table 
• Small bookshelf
• 20 year old boy room decorations
• 13 year old boy room decorations
• 11 year old girl room decorations
• 4 year old girl room decorations
• 1 year old boy room decorations
• Toys for children (13 year old boy, 11 and 4 year old girls, 1 year old boy)

Parent’s Room:

• Queen mattress & box spring
• Queen sheets & comforter
• (2)  Hanging shoe racks
• (1) dresser
• (1) bookshelf
• (1) queen size plastic zippered plastic bed bug proof mattress protector *(must be “bed bug” proof)
• (1) queen size washable mattress protector pad
• (1) set queen sheets (new or gently used)
• (4) new pillows
• Small nightstand
• Small desk lamp
• (100) hangers
• (4) laundry baskets (heavy-duty)

Hallway Closets

• Long, narrow rug to cover floor in hallway

Living Room

• (2) Couches (in good condition)
• Computer chair
• Computer/homework desk
• (1) paper organizer (for bills)
• (1) picture album
• Picture frames
• (2) bookshelves
• (2) Floor lamps
• End table
• DVD player
• Large shoe holder/shelf
• Artwork/paintings for walls (all sizes, all styles)
• Curtains (59″ wide by 62″ long)

Basement

• Dehumidifier

Wish List

• The family would like to have the bedroom in the basement turned into a “play room” for the children. Any toys, books, organizational items that could be used for a room like this are much appreciated.

Household repair items:

• White window blinds in the following sizes:
  • (2) 59″ wide by 62″ long
  • (2) 31″ wide by 54″ long
  • (2) 35″ wide by 55″ long
  • (2) 31″ wide by 40″ long
• (2) Pull chains to turn on light fixtures in basement 
• (9) tubes of caulking (3 white, 3 almond, 3 clear)
• Garage shelf brackets
• (2) spout extensions & (1) bracket for exterior of house
• Latch for side gate (metal)
• (1) drywall sheet
• Replacement bedroom door (29.75″ wide by 79.25″ long)

Outdoor Patio

• Outdoor table (with umbrella, if possible)
• Patio chairs
• Outdoor playground set (slide, swings, etc.)
• Gardening tools
• Fence for the garden
• Water bucket
• Propane grill

Cleaning Supplies

• Bathroom cleaner
• Degreaser (Mr. Clean, non-ammonia)
• Bleach
• 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(s) and trailer(s) to transport larger items to the family’s apartment on Saturday, Nov. 5th, 2016 between 8:00am-10:00am.
• Lunch for afternoon and all-day volunteers (pizza, sandwiches, etc.)
• Bottled water for volunteers (minimum of 90 bottles)
• Truck and trailer to transport the family’s broken items to the Omaha Landfill between 12:00pm-2:00pm

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, October 22nd, 2016 10:00am-12:00pm

Saturday, October 29th, 2016 12:30pm-3:30pm

**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.**

Volunteers Needed

Please sign-up to volunteer via our sign-up page. Red shifts are still needed.

• Pre-Shift: Saturday, October 29th, 2016 12:30pm-3:30pm: This shift involves getting donations ready for the project date. At the Restoring Dignity Storage Unit.
• Saturday, November 5th, 2016, at the family’s home:
  • Transportation: 8am-10am: This shift involves loading items onto trucks at the storage unit, and unloading them at the family’s home. This requires the use of your vehicle and we prefer trucks and trailers, if possible. Please contact us to let us know if you can provide a truck and/or trailer for this project.
  • Transportation: 12:00pm-2:00pm: This shift involves providing your own vehicle and loading broken items from the family’s home (couches, other furniture, etc) onto a truck and/or trailer and taking the items to the Omaha Landfill (must arrive to the landfill by 1:30pm). Restoring Dignity will cover the cost of dumping the items.
  • Shift Leaders: These shifts are for volunteers who can commit to serving for half a day, and who will be in charge of specific areas of the family’s home
    • 9:30am-2:00pm
      • Kitchen & Living Room Leader
      • Bathroom and Bedroom Leader
      • Outdoor Leader
      • Basement/Garage Leader
    • 1:30pm-6:00pm
      • Kitchen & Living Room Leader
      • Bathroom and Bedroom Leader
      • Outdoor Leader
      • Basement/Garage Leader
  • 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.
  • Full Day: 10am-6pm: This shift is for someone who is looking for a full-immersion with Restoring Dignity.
  • Handyperson shifts: 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. Pictures will be uploaded to the Restoring Dignity dropbox folder.
  • Video creator: This shift is for someone who can create a high-quality Restoring Dignity “Before and After” video. Will meet with Hannah during the week after the project.
• Post-shift: Saturday, November 19th, 2016: noon-1:30pm. 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 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.

• Volunteer:

For this project, we need a minimum of 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

Restoring Dignity

Call or text:

402-305-8139