REFUGEES: People who are forced to flee their country due to war or persecution. They want to return home, but they can’t.
In conjunction with Exodus World Service, a Christian organization, and in response to reading A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, the sixth grade would like to help a refugee family in need. Chicagoland is receiving many, many refugees every day and Exodus World Service is helping about 15 families per week to settle here.
Just imagine fleeing your country in fear for your life, experiencing many weeks or months of travel (most likely on foot through treacherous areas), at the mercy of dangerous strangers, perhaps in hiding, not enough food or water for you or your children, living in a filthy and dangerous refugee camp for who-knows-how-long, finally getting on an airplane, and landing in a foreign city. You are once again at the mercy of strangers. A friendly face greets you at the airport and helps you and your family into a car. They drive you through the city and stop at an apartment building. The door to the apartment is opened and there waiting for you is a group of smiling faces who have just set up your furnished apartment with full cupboards, a well stocked refrigerator, soap, clean bed linens, fluffy towels, pots, pans, dishes … the list goes on. For the first time in months or years, the only things you have to worry about is getting your children clean, fed, and put to bed in a safe place. What a remarkable relief!
Most refugee families arrive in a new country with only the clothes on their backs … literally. They have no money, no possessions, don’t speak the language, don’t understand the culture, and have no place to live. Exodus World Service helps with ALL of these issues. Most importantly, they share the love of JESUS. Please help us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these struggling families.
How Can You Help?
6th Grade would like your help with filling a Welcome to America! Pack with basic items for the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom along with a month’s worth of food to get them started.
We will be collecting household items and food staples from
Tuesday, April 11th until Tuesday, April 25th
- Sign up to bring the items you’d like to donate (due by Friday, April 28th)
- Send the items to school with. your child to place in donation boxes
- Grade 6 will deliver the items to a refugee email in need.
