Harvest 2021
All our Harvest gifts will be divided between: Restore in their work supporting refugees and the Quinton & Oldbury Foodbank supporting people in local communities. Click the button below to donate and read on to hear about what they’re doing (including a helpful list of items needed for the Foodbank)
RESTORE
For St John’s Harvest 2021
It's been so encouraging to see the outpouring of compassion towards Afghan refugees. Charities have been inundated with offers of food, clothes, bedding etc and Restore has had over 70 people sign up for its training course for new volunteers in October. Providing safety for all refugees and asylum seekers is a global challenge and we can all play our part.
Harvest is an opportunity to focus on the good gifts that God gives to us. Those gifts go beyond food and nourishment. We can also reflect on and be grateful for the good gifts of friendship and relational support – knowing others and being known. This can be one of the many things that refugees and asylum seekers have lost when they flee to another country to escape persecution and find safety, and leave everything behind.
At Restore, we aim to combat isolation and loneliness. Our volunteer befrienders offer welcome, a listening ear, assistance with conversational English, signposting to other services and help with understanding a new city and culture. Does it make a difference? One befriendee recently wrote, ““Befriending provided me warm welcome and untiring love. I found new connections, my confidence increased.” Another wrote: “My Befriender turned out to be the best friend I ever had in my life. She is very kind hearted and takes very good care of me. She is always ready to listen to me and has helped me to regain my self-confidence by her kind support both mentally and physically.”
Newly arrived Afghan refugees will be referred to Restore to benefit from that one-to-one befriending support and our group social activities, joining refugees from 23 countries including Syria, Iran, Yemen, Eritrea and Iraq who are already befriended. Integration into a new community is a long-term process for all refugees and our befrienders are there for the long haul, if needed.
We recognise that Restore is only a small piece in the jigsaw of refugee support work and we're delighted to work in partnership with many other organisations including Refugee Action, St Chad's Sanctuary, Refugee and Migrant Centre, Birmingham City of Sanctuary and Birmingham City Council. Together, we can achieve our vision of a society into which all refugees and asylum seekers are welcomed, valued and integrated. Please join us. Please support us.
Foodbank
At present we are particularly short of the following items:
Jam
Tinned fruit
Tinned tomatoes
Tinned fish
Long life sponge puddings
Instant mash
Tinned meat, including chicken
Long life fruit juice
Fruit squash
Long life milk
Tinned rice pudding
Tinned custard
Sweet and savoury treats
Toiletries of all types: shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste
Always useful are:
Tea
Coffee
Loo rolls
We do not need any pasta, baked beans or soup
ALL FOOD ITEMS MUST BE DATED WELL WITHIN THEIR USE BY DATE OR BEST BEFORE DATE, PLEASE.