WELCOME SUPPLIES DRIVE FOR REFUGEES HELD IN WEYBRIDGE

Area residents can provide much needed “welcome supplies” and direct aid to refugees settling in Vermont. In support of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program (VRRP), the Weybridge Congregational Church is conducting a Welcome Supplies Drive Friday, August 5 from 4-7PM and Saturday, August 6 from 8AM-noon.

To assist and welcome refugees settling in Vermont, this drive will collect new and like-new household items. Entire families often come to this country with only a few suitcases and are in great need of help as they enter our communities to start a new life. These basic supplies can make a meaningful difference. The Weybridge Church is asking for:
• kitchen supplies such as pots, dishes and silverware;
• bathroom supplies such as towels and bathmats;
• bedroom items such as new sheets and pillows and blankets;
• cleaning supplies such as brooms, buckets and cleaners;
• new personal care items such as soap, shampoo and diapers.

Please go to www.weybridgechurch.org for a complete list of needed items. Please note: furniture, electronics and clothing cannot be accepted at this drive. For more information, contact Peg Myhre at 802-545-3060 or at myhre@middlebury.edu.The Weybridge Congregational Church is located at 2790 Weybridge Road in Weybridge.

Founded in 1980, the VRRP is the Vermont field office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a non-profit organization located in Washington, D.C. The VRRP assists in settling upwards of 350 people annually. Besides finding and furnishing non-subsidized apartments, VRRP provides many services in the resettlement process such as cultural orientation, English language learning, help with employment, and case management services. The state receives money from the federal government for refugees’ medical care, education and other special programs. For more information about the VRRP, visit http://refugees.org/vermont/ .