The Refugee Assistance Subcommittee of the PJTC Social Justice Committee and the Louis B. Silver Religious School co-sponsored a refugee relief drive in May, 2017, that brought much needed household cleaning supplies and personal toiletries to refugee families in the El Cajon area near San Diego. We partnered with Second Families, an organization that assists 70 refugee families from the Middle East and Africa who have recently been settled in El Cajon. (Few refugees can afford rents in the Pasadena and Los Angeles area.)

Second Families suggested that there was a particular need for these items, which are not covered by the aid given to families by refugee resettlement agencies. A mound of detergent, dish soap, toilet cleaner, sponges, and toiletries overflowed from an enormous box in the PJTC lobby. Several volunteers, including Karen Gross, Martha Ruffman, Susan Auerbach, Ruth Wolman, Stacy Ober, and Bonnie Skolnick sorted the items, packed them into boxes, and subsequently delivered the boxes to Second Families for 18 refugee families. We look forward to continuing to pursue options for assisting refugees in Southern California.

Please save the date for a Bagel Breakfast talk at PJTC by Second Families founder Kristin Burk on Sunday, October 29, 2017.