Welcome a Stranger- Free Cases
For the first time in nearly a decade, MN is resettling refugee”Free Cases” in Minnesota. These “Free Case” families have no known connections or family in the US. Ideally, MCC would like to link these families to a co-sponsorship group who could provide support and material donations for them upon arrival.
The beginning of the school year is approaching and families around Minnesota are buying school supplies and meeting new teachers. This time of year can be stressful for some, but what if you were fleeing your town with school age children? In many countries in turmoil, families facing persecution abandon their homes no matter what time of year or how old their children. These children often grow up in refugee camps in neighboring countries, and their future hopes and dreams are developed there.
Many new refugee families will be arriving this September and October. They include people like Saw Wah and Paw Wah, two brothers who fled Burma when they were just 3 and 5 years old, who are coming to Minnesota to start a new life. After seventeen years in a refugee camp in northern Thailand, Saw and Paw have some English skills, a secondary school education level and no known relatives in Minnesota.
People like these brothers come to Minnesota in need of housing, employment and fellowship. Will you consider partnering with MCC Refugee Services to welcome people like Saw and Paw into Minnesota? We need blankets, winter coats and accessories, towels, pillows, pots and pans, new shampoo, toilet paper, and friendly faces to show them how to make a life in Minnesota. To get involved in the coming weeks and months please contact Kristin Zoellner at kristin.zoellner@mnchurches.org.
**Please note, if you donate an item to meet one of this family’s needs and that need has already been met by another donor, Refugee Services will go ahead and share your donation with another refugee family in need. If you have specific concerns about this possible transfer, please let Dan Huynh know when making your donation. Thanks again.
View a slideshow about life in Thai refugee camps.
You can help these families by
If you can provide “Person Power” please contact Kristin Zoellner or at kristin.zoellner@mnchurches.org. If you can provide “Stuff” please contact Dan Huynh at 612.230.3227 or Dan.huynh@mnchurches.org.
**Please note, if you donate an item to meet one of this family’s needs and that need has already been met by another donor, Refugee Services will go ahead and share your donation with another refugee family in need. If you have specific concerns about this possible transfer, please let Dan Huynh know when making your donation. Thanks again.
To get an overview of the rewarding experience of sponsoring a family click here.
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