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Hello Amazing Supporters!
What a wonderful night at the Homes Not Borders Night of Thanks! It was so great to see all who came out - looking sharp and all cleaned up! We missed those of you who could not make it. It was fun to hang out and share a meal, drinks, and laughs with many of our wonderful donors, volunteers, and supporters. For the first time, we also honored volunteers who gave 100 hours or more to HNB. The people standing in the photo above are those who attended the event and reached this milestone over the past four years. In total, 57 volunteers achieved it. While volunteering for 100 hours is impressive in and of itself, when you put it together, these 57 people did the work of one full-time employee for nearly three years!! Amazing! We truly cannot do the work we do helping refugees and forced migrants without our dedicated volunteers.
And as our volunteer survey shows, 43% of those who are currently volunteering with HNB have been doing so for more than two years (a fun fact you would have learned from our Kahoot quiz last week.) So you all are indeed dedicated to all things HNB!
Thank you!!!
But as those of you who received one display or use your award/cutting boards/trivet, just remember there is still work to be done. Our food delivery clients continue to increase as more and more refugees are kicked off of SNAP, and ICE detains ever more individuals. So please see the message below and consider helping out if you have not already done so. Also we are having a mini-surge (in relative terms) of new arrivals, thanks to the last Special Immigrant Visas that are about to expire, along with a few special exception cases finally making their way through the system. So we will soon have a few old-fashion set ups.
Stay tuned and engaged!
In Kindness,
Laura Thompson Osuri
Executive Director
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6,628
pounds of food distributed
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152
individuals supported with food
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$7,058
in home furnishings passed along to immigrants & refugees
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$2,756
in money to refugees (Moving Up Fund, artisans & storytellers)
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As noted above, we are now seeing new arrivals of the last Afghans who were issued SIVs before the program shut down in December. We expect to see a handful more SIV cases through the end of June. However, we have also set up an apartment for a new-arrival family from Ukraine and have another one in the pipeline from our resettlement agency partners. We are unclear as to how they came to the U.S. despite the ban of almost all refugees - perhaps under the very rare "special exemption" cases that were allotted for under the Pacito vs. Trump court case challenging the legality of stopping refugee resettlement mid-stream- but we are happy to see a few real refugees arrive.
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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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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Food Distribution Volunteers Still Needed
After an initial surge of interest, we are again looking for volunteers to help distribute food to refugee families every Saturday. We are hoping to get 10 volunteers each weekend!
The time commitment is roughly from 11 am to 2 pm, and you will pack and deliver food to four to six families in Montgomery and Prince George's County. A car is required if you are coming by yourself. You should have at least one car per 2-3 individuals who know each other because we need your car to deliver the food! We require background checks but take existing ones and can facilitate the (very) easy process as well!
If interested, please sign up via our Volunteer Interest Form (even if you have volunteered in other capacities before)! And if you have a group intersted in volunteering on a Saturday to distribute food, please email Noah Klose at noah@homesnotborders.org.
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Join HNB and Refugees International for Courage Together, June 18th
In partnership with Refugees International and Refugee Week US, Homes Not Borders is doing a workshop at Courage Together: An Evening of Arts and Culture Honoring Refugees and Displaced People.
In a time when communities face growing challenges and refugee and humanitarian support systems are increasingly strained, we gather to honor the creativity and cultural expression of refugees and displaced people and to celebrate how their artistic voices shape and enrich our shared world.
When: Thursday, June 18, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Doors Open: 5:00 p.m. Pre-show Workshops: 5:30 to 6:20 p.m. Performances: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Where: 1800 M Street NW, WDC (Walking distance from Dupont Circle and Farragut North Metro Stations)
What: The event will feature arts workshops (including one by HNB) and performances by award-winning poets, musicians, including HNB's very own Storai Manandoi.
How: Get tickets and learn more on the Courage Together Info Page.
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Newcomers to Neighbors Update
After much deliberation, we at Homes Not Borders have decided to put our Newcomers to Neighbors program on an indefinite hold. While the program, which ran two cohorts helping 19 families last year, was successful, it was a bit out of our scope. Also, with the addition of our food program (which we had no idea was even a need this time last year) and the growth of our artisan programs, we have decided to focus our staff and energies on these areas.
Most importantly, we do have a partner, Immigrant & Refugee Outreach Center (IROC), offering mentoring to families with a slightly different model. So if you are interested in becoming a mentor to a newcomer family, please check out IROC's New Neighbor Program.
| | 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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