We welcome refugees and asylees to our community, filling in the gaps left by current policies and providing them with essential support. In addition to educational, employment, and material support, we also strive to offer social connection and friendship as the challenges our friends face are not wholly external. As a community partner of the New Jersey office of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), we augment the services of the resettlement agency, providing a safe environment for learning and socializing as well as essential resources like employment assistance and donated items. Here are some of the things we do:
Fun Club
Meeting weekly, Fun Club provides a range of enrichment opportunities. Refugee friends, young and old, join with staff and volunteers to have dinner, enjoy games, practice English, get help with homework and find assistance filling out forms and applications. Over the years, friendships have formed and we even find refugee friends returning as volunteers.
Fun Club
Meeting weekly, Fun Club provides a range of enrichment opportunities. Refugee friends, young and old, join with staff and volunteers to have dinner, enjoy games, practice English, get help with homework and find assistance filling out forms and applications. Over the years, friendships have formed and we even find refugee friends returning as volunteers.
Educational Workshops
Our educational workshops, often conducted in our friends’ native language, focus on a range of issues that refugees and asylees may be facing.
Recent examples include:
- Know Your Rights: Changing US Federal policies on immigration and their implications (with First Friends of NJ & NY)
- US Public School Systems: How to register, what to expect, and how to best support your child’s learning.
- US Public Health Systems: How to navigate health insurance, hospitals and clinics
Employment & Higher Education Counseling
Individual counseling and assistance on Employment and Higher Education is often cited as our friends most-valued programming:
- How to find and apply for local job opportunities
- What to expect in a job interview and employer expectations of employees
- How to find and apply for schools, colleges, and university programs
Donations, Drives & Deliveries
Our Donations, Drives and Deliveries Committee, which has affectionately become known as “3D,” provides vital support for our neighbors, bringing donations from the broader community to those who need it most.
Recent examples include:
- Organizing back-to-school drives and seasonal clothing drives
- Non-perishable food boxes delivered to over 75 families
- Sourcing essential items like ACs, bicycles, TVs, laptops, small appliances and more
- Matching in-kind donations from our generous community with families who can use them
In Kind Donations
We are always looking for clean, gently-used items in good working condition for our families.
These are the most-requested items:
- Window unit ACs
- TVs
- Bicycles (adult and child)
- Sewing machines
To arrange an in-kind donation of one of the above items or if you have another item to donate, please contact donations@welcomehomejc.org
* Note: we do not accept furniture as we don’t have a way to move or store large items. *