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| The M2TC Refugee Donation Drive collected enough items to deliver to 67 Karen and Karenni families living in Des Moines. |
Throughout Mission to the City, Walnut Creek organized its first Refugee Donation Drive to collect gently used furniture, kitchen, and kids' items to bless refugee families living in Des Moines.
This past weekend with a U-Haul and multiple trucks and vans, four Community Groups delivered the donated items to 67 Karen and Karenni families living in 15 different apartment complexes and houses throughout the Des Moines area.
The Karen and Karenni are people groups that come from Myanmar (Burma) and Northern Thailand. There are about 4,000 Karen and Karenni in Central Iowa, having fled political instability and persecution. Many Karen families attend the Sunday morning service at Walnut Creek Downtown, while a Karenni Fellowship meets at Freedom For Youth Ministries on Sunday afternoons.
During Mission to the City, teams went door-to-door in Des Moines neighborhoods asking the community if they would like to join us in helping our refugee neighbors. As an extra service, other M2TC teams collected donated items from community members and delivered them to Jordan Park Camp. The most needed items were mattresses, couches, and cooking supplies.
"A need was seen and the church rose up to meet that need. It was awesome to see people in the community and from our church come together to serve their neighbors," said Ashley Caycedo of Walnut Creek Downtown. "The refugee drive ran smoothly, and we were able to bless families with multiple items to make their new place feel like home."
The organizers would like to thank everyone who participated in and contributed to the Refugee Donation Drive by donating, delivering, and organizing items as well as inviting people in the community to join us in helping these families.
The organizers would like to thank everyone who participated in and contributed to the Refugee Donation Drive by donating, delivering, and organizing items as well as inviting people in the community to join us in helping these families.
By Jackie Wallentin
Walnut Creek Windsor Heights