Search Results for: RISSE Winter Clothing Drive

Ruth was thrilled with her new red sweater, it fit perfectly and was a favorite color. For the first time, I asked  her if she needed any more clothes, and she said no, she now had everything she needed except for a couple of things I’m not going to mention. When she gets those later this week, she will be all set.

Ken says he now also has everything he needs, and he and Red have done major bonding.

Ruth has come a long way since she arrived at the Mansion with little more than the clothes on her back. The clothing campaign for the Mansion – thanks to a network of Thrift Shops on my new circuit – has been so successful that I don’t think there is anyone left there that is in need of clothes, either for the winter or for every day life.

I’ve given clothes out to 19 people there , 13 residents and six staffers – six winter wool hats, four pairs of paints, seven blouses and shirts, five winter jackets,  nine scarves and four pairs of mittens.

There are five people I haven’t yet seen to ask – I think they are mostly bed-ridden

This is a great Christmas idea, Christmas is a time for music from the heart. At the same time, the Army Of Good is flooding RISSE, the refugee and immigrant center of Albany, with much needed clothes for the refugees as winter approaches – sweaters, jackets, snow pants, winter boots, mittens, scarves, wool caps, blankets.

(The blog winter clothing drive is on until New Year’s – new and used clothing in good condition are welcome (check out swap.com – the largest thrift and consignment store in the country –  for great prices on winter clothes).

They are very grateful.

Refugees often come to American with little or no clothes or belongings, this will help them handle their first upstate New York winter.

The Mansion clothing drive was more personal. Everyone doesn’t need or want clothes, it is necessary to know them to win their trust and find out what they really want and need. This was a great experience for me, another lesson in giving and learning.

Now that I have discovered the warm and friendly world of Thrift Shops – I have a strong network of advisers and supporters there now – no Mansion resident will want for clothes. Many have generously cut prices and donated some clothes for the Mansion residents. Our circle is widening.

The Thrift Stores are not alien to me, it felt more like coming home. I loved wandering the halls of the Mansion offering colorful and useful clothes to people, and seeing them light up with shock and surprise at their new clothes.

Small things matter, often more than anything. Ruth and Ken have lost everything, and now it is their turn to get their life back, and the Army Of Good is making this possible. So thanks for your support.

I am always learning to listen and think. Every time I talk to a resident of the Mansion, I learn something new about listening.

 

“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor..”  – Jesus, The New Testament.

For me, Christ has always been an inspirational, not necessarily a religious figure. He is invoked so often and in so many exploitive ways it is simple enough to forget what he was truly about. It seems everyone uses Christ for their own purposes.

More than anything, he was about giving comfort to the poor and the vulnerable.

I feel close to him at this bench.

In my head, I refer to the clothing bench at RISSE, the refugee and immigrant center in Albany as a Jesus Bench, in that it is where RISSE places your daily donations of winter clothing for the refugees and immigrants who need them.  People come by all day.

Yesterday, Mawulidi the carver, stopped at the bench, he found a pair of pants for one of his sons, and another refugee found a sweater for her daughter. Mawulidi folded the pants carefully and placed it in his backpack.

At the beginning of the day the Jesus bench is full of clothes, at the end of the day there are not many clothes left.

Refugees and immigrants are not the same thing, refugees are fleeing persecution, violence and disaster, immigrants have chosen to move to America in a more orderly and less urgent process.

Both are needy when they arrive but refugees are especially needy, most often they have lost everything, and arrive with little more than they are wearing. After a few weeks, they receive no support from our government, and even that is being cut.

Many are coming to terms with a Northeast U.S. winter. They need jackets, sweaters, snow pants, (kids in local school districts must have snow pants to go outside in the winter) winter socks and boots.

You can sent new clothes or used clothes in good condition to RISSE as part of the blog’s Winter Refugee Clothing drive, your donated clothes are arriving and sparking much excitement and appreciation. I brought three bags yesterday, I am becoming expert at exploring Thrift Stores and finding bargains online.

You can send clothes to RISSE, 715 Morris Street, Albany, N.Y., 12208. You can also donate money directly to RISSE, they offer every kind of support to refugees and immigrants.

I have been conducting a quiet clothing drive for the Mansion residents, only a few need winter clothes, but they have them now.

The refugees I know almost never ask for help, but they are especially needy. They almost never have cars, they can’t afford insurance, they are learning English and work in minimum wage jobs, the only ones they can find at first. They struggle to have kitchen utensils, blankets and household fixtures.

They have no clothes for our winters and quite often walk long distances to busses and work. They are needy and vulnerable.

Your support of them is appreciated. I am inspired by the Jesus Bench, I spent an hour there yesterday, helping some  of the refugees sort through the piles of clothing. There is a lot of good and useful clothing there, thank you, I keep telling them that this is the true heart and soul of America. I know most of the can’t quite understand my words, but they do understand the meaning of the clothes.

I think this is where Jesus would be if he were alive today, and what do I know perhaps he is right in front of me, watching the bench also.

Ali was watching some of his soccer team members get into the RISSE van, and one of them turned to him and asked  him, “Ali, you have a family, why do you spend so much time with us, helping us out?”

Ali teared up a bit, and answered quickly. “Because you are my family.” Ali sometimes tears up when he talks about his soccer team, and they sometimes cry when they talk about him. It’s difficult sometimes to explain the vast differences in culture in the lives of the refugees.

A couple of months ago, a woman wrote scolding me because there was only one female on the soccer team, as if RISSE or me were keeping them off. I didn’t know how to explain to here that most of the refugee girls have no desire to play soccer with the boys – they are quite free to do so – many do not come from cultures that promote co-ed sports, or sports for women at all.

They are forming a dancing ream, and so far, the girls don’t care to  join that either. The soccer team is a powerful symbol to me, Ali has taken it upon himself to shepherd them from their hard transition to America.

Their parents rarely come to the soccer games, they work two or three jobs and also do not come from a culture where parents come out to cheer their kids in competitive sports. It is alien to them, and many don’t have cars – they live in cities because they can only take public transportation.

The boys on the soccer team are especially needy right now, and I intend to support them as fully and continuously as I can. Ali is like a brother to me, we are very much on the same page, we support each other.

He and I have an arrangement. When a member of the team needs something, he tells me and I try to get it for them. Ali and I talk all the time about the fact that giving is selfish, it makes us bigger. Last week, he told me the story of Bae reh, he is from Thailand. Like most of the soccer kids, they have few winter clothes or boots. The refugee families are fleeing persecution, violence or natural disaster, they come with little or nothing but the things they can carry or wear.

I have started ramping up a clothing drive, and clothes are now coming into the RISSE daily. But it is really just a drop in the bucket. Bae reh, like many of the refugees, wears sandals and socks, he has no winter boots.

Ali told me he yearned for some Timberland boots, a size 7. He has younger brothers, Ali said, so when he outgrows them, they will be passed down the line, used for many years. I gave them to Ali today when I saw him in Albany and he passed them along to Bae reh when he picked him up from school to take him to after school classes at RISSE.

“He will be so happy,” he said. Then Ali sent me this photograph, and it made me so happy. Every time I do this work, I feel bigger, better, stronger, more whole and grounded. How curious.

Giving lights a light in the heart, for the person who receives and the person who gives. Ali is determined to keep the kids busy during the winter, even on weekends and holiday breaks. We are planning ice-staking sessions, movies and some birthday parties.

We make a living by what we get, said Churchill, we make a life by what we give.

Sunday, he is taking the kids out for a pizza run (courtesy of the Army of Good) for $90. He’s invited me to join him, I think Bae reh wants to thank me in person.

I will try and go if I can. I feel good that Bae reh got what he wanted, a fine pair of boots to get him through the winter. Thanks so much for supporting this work, if you wish to donate in any amount to it you can send a contribution to me at P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via paypal, [email protected].  Please mark it for the refugees or soccer team. Thanks.

It seems like  I’ll be going to Albany at least once a week for the foreseeable future, that is where I meet the refugees and immigrants coming to America, see Ali and the RISSE soccer team, and today, will see Mawulidi Diodone Majaliwa, give him the money for his carvings, and collect some more to sell.

I’m also bringing some clothes I picked up for the winter Refugee Clothing Drive, they need jackets, sweaters, snow pants, winter socks, scarves, gloves,  especially the children. Used clothes are welcome, as long as they are in good condition. You can send them to ISSE, 715 Morris Street, Albany, N.Y., 12208.

Most of the refugees came here hurriedly, they couldn’t bring much with them. They need everything, especially as the winter approaches.

Many people are liking swap.com, a consortium of thrift stores and also finding wonderful discarded winter clothes in their attics. I’ve got to get going, when I return it will be with some fresh carvings to sell. Maria is handling the sales, [email protected]

There is a substantial waiting list, if you are interested, I’d get on it. Thanks.

It takes a very special kind of person to work at the Mansion. I learned yesterday that three of the Mansion staff logged out after their workday several times this week and went to a nearby extreme care facility to visit two of the Mansion residents who had been hospitalized. This happens again and again, the staff’s dedication to the residents transcends hours and pay.

The word is getting around, the Mansion now has a waiting list of people who want to come there, and who insist on returning they after their hospital and nursing home visits. It is not simple to run a Medicaid facility, but you can feel the ethos of care and concern that permeates the Mansion, that feeling was what first drew me to the place. They care.

I am struggling this week to figure out how to help the Mansion residents who need some clothes for the winter, and in general. I met a couple who moved to the Mansion recently and who arrived with three Wal-Mart bags and nothing else. The staff went out and bought them some clothes,and I have been bringing them some clothes.

Getting clothes for the Mansion residents is a bit tricky. Most of them have enough clothes, only four or five need clothes by my reckoning. The staff will usually tip me off if someone’s  clothing needs are urgent. I don’t call for a general clothing drive because the Army of Good will send far more clothes than are needed, and it is difficult for people far away to know what is needed and get the right sizes.

I brought Ken, above, some sweaters, he had no winter clothing.

I think clothes is such a personal thing that I can – sometimes with staff help – get to a thrift shop or go online and get the clothes that are needed. Again, most residents have what they need.

This week, I’ve been distributing wool hats and scarves, and a few sweaters and jackets. I know of two people in real need for clothes and I’ll see if I can take care of that this weekend.

Tomorrow, I’m bringing Art a collection of Bible stories. I’m bringing Bill two books by Armistead Maupin,  the gay writer who has chronicled life in San Francisco for some years. I am distributing scarves tomorrow to people who want them..

Clothes are not expensive around here, and I think I have a good fix now on what’s needed. Our winters are severe, and it is important that the residents be able to go outside and walk. The right winter clothes make that possible.

Lots of good stuff coming up in the Mansion. Saturday, we are taking a van load of people to the Hubbard Hall Arts Center’s annual Christmas breakfast.. Next week, the annual Christmas Party will be on the 14th, the Sleigh Ride on the 15th. I met with Morgan Jones, the new Mansion Director today and I proposed a pizza lunch to welcome the New Year. She loved the idea.

Thanks for your support of this work, we are touching and changing lives. If you wish to support the Mansion aid program, you can send donations to my post office box, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected]. There is currently $1,100 in the  Mansion/Refugee account. Please mark donations as “Mansion/Refugee Fund.” Thanks.

Tomorrow afternoon, I’m going to Albany to meet with Mawulidi Diodone Majaliwa, to give him the money for his carvings and also to present RISSE, the refugee and immigrant support center in Albany,  with a check for 25 per cent of his carving earnings, at his request. I hope to return with additional carvings to sell before Christmas.

It has been a good week for the Mansion residents, and a good week for Mawulidi, a refugee from the Congo.