As we seek to love our neighbors near and far, we are partnering with the African Community Center, and Deer Park United Methodist Church to Nest-A-Home for a newly-arrived refugee family settling in the Denver area.
Nesting a Home involves collecting all the initial furnishings and household items that a family will need as they settle into their new home in the USA. At UMCE, we are coordinating the collection of items to ensure that when a refugee family arrives, they have a safe, secure, and fully stocked home in which to begin their new lives.
You can help! This project happens at UMCE every year during the season of Lent.
Find out more about the African Community Center here!
Read about our Nesting Project in the Canyon Courier here!
IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR NESTING PROJECT 2025
We had hoped to “nest” another apartment this spring, but that course of action changed on Jan. 27th when we received an email from the ECDC African Community Center (ACC), the resettlement agency we have been working with, letting us know that refugees were no longer being allowed to enter the US for the next 90 days and that their funding to support the refugees who have recently arrive had been frozen by the new administration. .
Imagine what it must feel like to make the decision to leave your home and country due to internal conflict, hostilities and possible death, go through a rigorous vetting and application process to enter the U.S. legally and, upon arrival, discover the funding promised to keep you and your family housed and fed initially no longer exists.
That’s where we come in. Instead of donating hundreds of items to furnish/supply an apartment later this year, we are asking our congregation to donate the funds that they might have spent on a traditional nesting project now. Our donations will support a family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DNC) that is comprised of a single mother, Adeline, and her three children ages 13, 6 and 4.
Any amount you choose to donate is welcome. As you can see below, every dollar given to this effort will count.
Adeline Family's Monthly Expenses:
Rent: $1,707
Phone: $21 (Through LycaMobile program)
Utilities: $75 (On average for a family of 4 through Xcel)
Internet: $15 (Through Internet Essentials program)
Bus Pass: $88 (Monthly pass through RTD)
Toiletries: $50 (On average for a family of 4)
Cleaning Supplies: $60 (On average for a family of 4)
Food Cost: $704 (until food stamps begin, takes an average of 3 weeks to be approved)
= $2,720 per month
= $87.70/per day
= $21.90/ per person per day
Together with Deer Park, we’ve decided to try to raise the full 3 months of expenses, or $8160.
Please drop your donation into the regular Sunday offering plate and clearly mark for the NESTING PROGRAM. You can also donate online at any time using the donation link on UMCE’s website and indicate in the space provided that your donation is for the NESTING PROGRAM or drop off donations with Jessica (at the church office) that are clearly labeled for the NESTING PROGRAM.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and desire to assist during this urgent time. Together, we can make a significant difference in Adeline’s and her family’s lives.
Together we can Love God More, Love More People.