Hello Neighbor Volunteer Coordinator, Aubrey Parke, talks about her role in collecting donated goods from the community for refugee families in the beginning stages of arriving in Pittsburgh.
Through Hello Neighbor’s resettlement team, refugee families are able to be placed in a fully stocked apartment when they arrive in Pittsburgh. The housing goods that are donated to Hello Neighbor including bedrooms supplies, kitchen supplies, cleaning equipment, hygiene care, and more.
When it comes to receiving donations, “We have great community support,” says Parke. Many of the donations that Hello Neighbor receives come from their own volunteers and their financial donors. A list of goods they accept is also provided on Hello Neighbors website.
They often don’t receive much of a warning for when families are being located in Pittsburgh and need housing goods for their new space. “This space is representative of the chaos that is resettlement,” says Parke.