<p><a href="#XGBGUCTZ" style="display: none"></a> <em>Thanks to a generous <strong>$10,000 match</strong> from a local family foundation, every dollar you donate up to $10,000 will be <strong>DOUBLED until December 31st</strong>.</em></p> <p><hr></p> <p><iframe width="100%" style="aspect-ratio: 16 / 9" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F4PdLVGtK2g?start=1" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> <br></p> <h1 id="in-a-world-divided-we-stand-together-">In a world divided, we stand together.</h1> <p>This year devastation struck. As the pandemic spread across the world and our nation, we watched our families who already have the odds stacked against them, face the seemingly insurmountable. Many of our refugee parents lost work and wages and are still struggling to provide for their families. Children are still navigating remote learning without the support and resources they need.</p> <p>The number of recently resettled refugees we serve quadrupled as our families have had their lives turned upside down - once again forced to rebuild and find their way through the darkness.</p> <p><strong>Yet in the midst of devastation, something remarkable happened</strong>. We saw the strength of community, and the powerful impact of coming together for the good of our neighbors in need.</p> <hr> <h2 id="give-where-it-matters-most">Give Where It Matters Most</h2> <p>We have been so inspired by our community of mentors, volunteers, supporters, tutors, and friends as they continue to fight on the frontlines of love for their newest neighbors. <strong>But our work is not finished, and we need your help.</strong></p> <p>Now through December 31st, <strong>we&#39;ve set a goal of raising $25,000</strong> to help our refugee neighbors rise above the challenges caused by COVID-19.</p> <div class="grid is-3-column"> <a href="#XXFPNLXT" style="display: none"></a> <a href="#XCCJUNJZ" style="display: none"></a> <a href="#XZZGYFYZ" style="display: none"></a> <a href="#XWPWPCYU" style="display: none"></a> <a href="#XDZLQWYK" style="display: none"></a> <a href="#XVFYKPKL" style="display: none"></a> </div> <hr> <h2 id="strength-in-numbers">Strength In Numbers</h2> <p>As parents lost work, children struggled to navigate virtual learning, and families faced food insecurity and scarcity of resources, <strong>our community rallied together</strong> to deliver meals, distribute essential items and emergency cash assistance, fill out unemployment and rent assistance forms, make homemade masks for refugee essential workers, and call families to check in and offer a listening ear.</p> <h3 id="since-march-our-community-has-jumped-into-action-">Since March, our community has jumped into action:</h3> <ul> <li>Enrolling <strong>467 recently resettled refugees</strong> in our new Covid Direct Services program</li> <li>Hosting <strong>4 distributions</strong> to supply families impacted by COVID-19 with the essential items they need.</li> <li>Raising <strong>over $75,000</strong> through the Refugee Assistance Fund to support the most critical needs of our newest neighbors</li> <li>Distributing over <strong>300 cash assistance checks</strong> to refugee and immigrant families in Pittsburgh</li> <li>Conducting <strong>32 meal train deliveries</strong> and numerous essential supply drop offs and check ins with new refugee moms and their newborn babies</li> <li>Launching our new Study Buddy program, providing refugee students with a collective average of <strong>30 hours per week</strong> of virtual learning assistance through dedicated peer tutors.</li> </ul> <p>In the midst of so much turmoil, this movement of neighbors helping neighbors gives us hope, and we are determined to move forward with our eyes fixed on a better tomorrow. This is our opportunity to unite as a nation of neighbors fighting for the good of one another. It will not come easily. It will take the effort of each and every one of us to stand together. </p> <hr> <h2 id="stories-of-neighbors-helping-neighbors">Stories Of Neighbors Helping Neighbors</h2> <p><img src="/assets/img/twr-dalal.png" alt=“together dalal”> Mentors Debbie and George were matched with their Syrian mentees, Bra’ah and her daughter Dalal, at the start of 2020 shortly before Covid-19 swept the nation. In the unprecedented months that followed, Bra’ah, Dalal, Debbie and George have served as friendly faces and listening ears for one another, offering support wherever they can through this stressful time.</p> <p>After their first meeting in January, Debbie shared:</p> <blockquote> <p>“We found a common bond in a love of food and we will begin to build our friendship this way. Our gift to our family was a basket of fruit and when we arrived we were greeted by a similar basket of fruit they had assembled for us! It was a nice beginning to more shared experiences.”</p> </blockquote> <p>As the pandemic began to intensify, George and Debbie shared with our staff the challenge Bra’ah’s family was experiencing in finding housing within their budget, as their current residence was causing financial strain.</p> <p>Our team sent out the request to our community and it was not long before we saw the collective support of several amazing neighbors coming together to help this family find a new home.</p> <p>Melissa, a longtime ally of Hello Neighbor and former board chair, connected our team to a friend who was looking to rent out an apartment to refugee tenants for a deeply discounted price. The apartment was within walking distance to a shopping district and a local park,making it a perfect fit for the accessibility of resources and feeling of home that this family longed for. </p> <p>In early November, Debbie and George helped Dalel and Bra’ah move into their new apartment. The cherry on top: their new upstairs neighbors welcomed them to the neighborhood with an apple pie. </p> <p>Afterwards Dalal texted our team to share her gratitude with our community:</p> <blockquote> <p>“Thank you for helping us find a beautiful and comfortable home.”</p> </blockquote> <p>It is thanks to this incredible community of mentors, mentees, supporters, volunteers and friends that we were able to accomplish what feels impossible - giving our refugee neighbors the opportunity to feel at home in the midst of a global pandemic.</p> <p>Together, we are creating a sense of belonging in the city of Pittsburgh, and making this city a place we can all proudly call home.</p> <p><hr> <img src="https://assets-global.website-files.com/634ae6816088707d372246f0/63795d64d6ddb00cb813ee17_twr-dalal.png" alt=“together yvonne”></p> <p>When COVID-19 hit, our families felt the effects on a grand scale as they found the lives they had just rebuilt turned upside down once again.</p> <p>For Yvonne and Romeo and their family of eight, this meant navigating pregnancy, unemployment, and the risk of being a frontline worker in a global pandemic.</p> <p>As the current health crisis began to climb, Yvonne, mother of five with a newborn on the way, found herself out of work and relying on the single income of her husband Romeo, an essential hospital worker. While the family was grateful for Romeo’s income, they feared for the risk his position of the frontline posed to their family.</p> <p>Yvonne enrolled in Hello Neighbor’s Smart Start for Refugee Mothers and Children program, where she received meal train and essential supply deliveries from dedicated volunteers, as well as regular wellness check ins.</p> <blockquote> <p>“This was a very hard time because our benefits stopped and we had the baby, I don&#39;t know what we would have done without your assistance,” said Yvonne.</p> </blockquote> <p>Laurie, our dedicated Smart Start volunteer, was the one to check in with Yvonne throughout this trying time and coordinate with Hello Neighbor to make sure she had everything she needed to feel safe and supported throughout her pregnancy and early postpartum.</p> <blockquote> <p>“I honestly feel so lucky that I&#39;m able to be doing something that is greater than myself right now - this pandemic has made me realize even more how interconnected we all are and if I can make life a tad bit easier, more enjoyable, or less stressful for one person, then it&#39;s all worth it!” said Laurie.</p> </blockquote> <p>We are so happy to report that Yvonne recently gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Romeo has been able to keep his job throughout this challenging time and Yvonne recently found a new job working for a cleaning service downton. Everyone in the family is healthy and knows that no matter the hardships that lie ahead, they have a friend in Hello Neighbor.</p> <p>“We thank you for everything you&#39;ve done for us during this period, I don&#39;t even know how to thank you for all that you did for us,” Yvonne wrote to our team. “I have been wondering how am I going to find a way to thank all of you for all that you&#39;ve done for us.&quot;</p> <h2 id="are-you-with-us-">Are you with us?</h2> <p><br> <a href="#XPYGCVZL" style="display: none"></a></p>