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Hello Amazing Supporters!
I was talking with one of our larger grant funders last week and began by saying how horrible this administration has been to those we serve, allowing no refugees or asylum seekers to come to the U.S. while also menacing the ones who are here. The conversation then shifted to the successes and plans for our food, storytelling, and artisan programs, and how we have changed course with set-ups and our mentoring program. I sounded hopeful.
The funder seemed surprised by the contrast, so I explained, "Yes, it is all horrible for refugees and forced migrants, but at least it is predictably bad so we can plan accordingly."
This is where we find ourselves now: in the land of predictably horrible. Bad for those we serve, but at least better for planning compared to 2025's constant changes and fresh new hells every week.
With closed borders and shuttered refugee processing being the norm, we only had five set-ups this past month, our lowest in five years! But with SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) cuts for refugees continuing, we are fully focused on food distributions (serving 38 families last month). Additionally, while the awfulness of ICE crackdown continues, we are now partnering with Prince George's Immigrant Rights Collective to help their clients - those whose partners have been detained by ICE.
So it has been a month of looking forward and realizing that our programs have staying power in the current environment. The current Sew Successful cohort is quite active and just made dozens of cardholder keychains that a partner group bought. And, thanks to your support, the next cohort is fully funded. We're deep into planning for this Spanish-speaking cohort while continuing to give income opportunities for this present cohort. Our food distribution is also going strong (check out all those boxes pictured above!), and we just added four new families in the past two weeks. Our storytelling program has even seen a surge of late, with three new engagements scheduled in the next two months and two in the works for the fall! Let me know if your church, synagogue, school or club wants a storyteller to come and share their experiences.
So thanks for sticking with HNB in the land of horribly predictable. We can survive and even thrive in any environment with such amazing folks like you all by our side!
In Kindness,
Laura Thompson Osuri
Executive Director
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6,451
pounds of food distributed
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131
individuals supported with food
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$11,519
in home furnishings passed along to immigrants & refugees
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$3,805
in money to refugees (Moving Up Fund, artisans & storytellers)
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As noted above STILL, there are no new refugees, SIVs, asylum seekers, or any forced migrants by UNHCR standards arriving in the United States. We do know of many Afrikaners (who the Trump administration is saying are "refugees" and will probably make up all of the record low 7,500 refugee determinations) arriving in the area, with many moving into apartments at Parkview Gardens - where our volunteers have set up hundreds of apartments for other newcomers. Again, Homes Not Borders only assists refugees and forced migrants by UNCHR definition.
The federal government continues to threaten and detain those who are here in the United States. While we have heard of ICE targeting many areas in Prince George's and Montgomery Counties where immigrants live (and working in partnership with Park Police on the BW Parkway), we, thankfully, have not heard of much activity around the main apartment complexes where set-ups used to be.
As always, sign up for the Church World Service State of Play to get some great daily updates on national refugee and forced migrant news. And also find the latest on immigration policy updates from USA Hello.
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Thank You!!
Our donors are the best!!! In case you missed Amy's email from last week, our mini Spring fundraiser was a great success, and we fully funded the second cohort of Sew Successful, raising $34,873.47 from 108 donors in less than month! We smashed through our goal of $20,000!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I am excited that we can extend Sew Successful to create more income opportunities for our seamstresses and also reach our Spanish-speaking new neighbors.
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RSVP For Night of Thanks - May 14th!
After a wild ride of a year that we have all weathered and come out stronger, Homes Not Borders' board and staff want to thank all our dedicated donors, volunteers, and partners.
Please join us for our Night of Thanks 2026.
When: Thursday, May 14, 2026, 6:30 to 9:30 PM
Where: Woman's Club of Chevy Chase, 7931 Conn. Ave, Chevy Chase, MD
What: A celebration of you and HNB! Dinner, drinks and lots of fun! (all at no cost to you!)
RSVP Today!
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Attend our Fabric Stash Sale Fundraiser - May 30th!
Buy fabric, fabric, and more fabric (and notions and sewing supplies as well), all at a super-discounted flat price of $4 a yard. All proceeds benefit Homes Not Borders and our Sew Successful Artisan program. Tickets just $5 ($7 at the door.)
When: Sat, May 30, 2026, 12pm to 4pm
Where: Brentwood Town Hall, 3712 Utah Ave, Brentwood, Md
What: Fabric and notions fundraiser sale - and artisan items for sale as well!
Get your Fabric Stash Sale Tickets - just $5 each - today!
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Interested in using a Makerspace? Fill out our quick survey today!
Homes Not Borders is looking to possibly establish a Makerspace when we move to a new location. Ideally, we would have a space focused on sewing with a few standard sewing machines, a serger, an embroidery machine and access to scrap fabric. The carpentry space would include a table saw, band saw, sander, planner, lathe and other basic carpentry equipment (and maybe even a laser cutter). All members must complete a safety and training class before operating any machinery.
In hopes of securing funding to create such a space, we need to gauge interest from the community. If you would be interested in using a makerspace - for sewing or carpentry - please fill out our MAKERSPACE SURVEY. It takes under five minutes to complete!
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| If you missed any of our previous monthly updates, or just want to stay up to date on all things concerning refugees and HNB, check out our Monthly Updates page. | | |
3610 East Street, Landover, MD 20785
info@homesnotborders.org • www.homesnotborders.org
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