Our Share the Plate Organization for May is the International Institute of New England (IINE).
In addition to our regular collection, we will be also be collecting hygiene items such as:
- toothpaste
- razors
- deodorant
- shampoo
- conditioner
- body lotion
- cleaning solution
- laundry detergent.
IINE resettles hundreds of refugees each year who are fleeing persecution and conflict in their homelands. Their work with refugees forms the basis of their continuum of service. They also support asylees who are in the United States seeking political protection after fleeing persecution. These services include an Unaccompanied Children’s Program, which reunites unaccompanied Central American children with family members or sponsors living in the United States.
IINE is the oldest organization exclusively serving refugees and immigrants in New England. IINE welcomed Eastern Europeans in the 1920s and 1930s, persecuted people fleeing Europe after World War II, displaced persons from the former Soviet bloc and Cuba in the 1950s and 1960s, Cambodians and Vietnamese in the 1970s, and Central and South Americans and families from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa during the past several decades.
Members of First Parish and several other Churches and Temples in Chelmsford have been involved with IINE’s “Chelmsford Faith in Action Team” since 2021. The teams sets up apartments for new refugees, helps organize the IINE Lowell warehouse and does other tasks to help support IINE families.
If you are not in the service on the 26,you can donate online by following this link:
https://iinedev.wpenginepowered.com/get-involved/ways-to-give/donate/al
