The Welcome Co-op

We were thrilled to host the Board of Directors from Global Refuge today, the national resettlement agency for partner organization Inspiritus . We had the opportunity to share about the work of The Welcome Co-Op and how we have come together with partners in the spirit of collaboration to welcome families to Georgia. This incredible group of leaders assembled furniture, organized hygiene kits and sorted clothing donations as part of their board meeting visit to Atlanta. Thank you for serving refugee families with us today, we are grateful! #refugeeswelcome #partnership #buildingcommuitytogether

We have a new home! After months of renovations and preparations, The Welcome Co-Op has moved to our new space in Tucker! Our Shop of Hope, offices and Warehouse space for housing supplies are all in one location! We are still unpacking and getting organized, but today our Shop of Hope re-opened to clients, and we had quite the crowd right away! This new space will make it possible for us to receive MANY more clothing and household items- and with over a dozen families arriving each week, we need A LOT of donations. You can drop off clothing and shoes at 2062 Weems Rd, Tucker 30084 between 10am and 4pm Mondays through Fridays. No need to call ahead, just come on in to drop off, our team will be ready to assist you! Our biggest need right now is shoes, men's smaller sizes and girls clothing (especially dresses and leggings)- but we will take any clothes and shoes. We also have a great space to host group and individual volunteers as we provide a warm welcome to families. Please email us at [email protected] for more information. #welcomehom #refugeeswelcome #georgialovesrefugees

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Our team was thrilled to partner with Memorial Drive Ministries yesterday as part of their hygiene kit drive for refugee families. Over a dozen churches came together to provide over 350 hygiene kits! It was so fun watching our truck get filled to the brim as people arrived to drop off kits. The collective impact of this event is huge and will benefit so many families, but we will use up all of these kits within two months! If you or your group would like to learn how you can create welcome kits for refugee families, please message us or email [email protected]

We hosted alternative break groups from 7 colleges this spring. These students have been amazing! They've set up apartments, organized the warehouse, built chairs, shopped for hygiene supplies, created hygiene kits, and sorting clothing donations at The Shop of Hope! Students came from Elon University, New York University, Kennesaw State University, Agnes Scott College, University of Kentucky, The University of Memphis, and Michigan State University. A huge thank you to each student and faculty member who spent their spring break volunteering! And thank you to our partner agencies New American Pathways, International Rescue Committee Atlanta and Inspiritus for making connections for us to host these incredible student groups! There's never a shortage of things to do with us at The Welcome Co-op! Reach out if your group would like to learn more! 

We had our first donation and delivery from Green Standards today. We were so excited to receive some amazing furniture through their program. The chairs, couches and tables will help us set up over a dozen apartments for refugee families. And the team who came to help unload was absolutely incredible! We all instantly bonded and had a great time working together. Our team wasted no time to use a few items for set ups this afternoon. We are setting up an average of 20 apartments a week right now and need allllllllll the supplies and furniture we can get! Reach out if you want to get involved! #apartments #refugees #refugeeswelcome

We were so grateful to be included in Northside Drive Baptist Church's Angel Tree this year. They collected several bags of coats and winter items for clients. We are already expecting to welcome at least 50 families in January, so this gift was greatly needed and so very appreciated! We have ongoing needs for winter clothing and hygiene kits for new families. Please reach out if you'd like to get involved!

Earlier this month we had a group from Piedmont Atlanta Hospital join us for a service project. They put together hygiene and household kits, chairs and table sets, and helped organize the warehouse. They played festive music and our team is so appreciative of their hard work! It's wonderful to give back this time of year and we have plenty of opportunities. Please reach out if your group would like to participate in a volunteer project or supply drive to support our newest neighbors!

We were so grateful to receive 50 children’s hygiene kits from the Pre-k classes at Smyrna First United Methodist church before Thanksgiving. Isabelle inspired her school to follow in her generosity to welcome refugees with stuffed animals and hygiene kits, showing us all that even the youngest among us can create welcoming homes for newcomers! If you’d like to do your own kit drive, let us know! It’s easy and a lot of fun! #refugeeswelcome #generosity #georgialovesrefugees #volunteering

We have some new followers on here, and we are thrilled to introduce ourselves! The Welcome Co-op is a collaboration of four refugee resettlement organizations in Atlanta, Georgia. We are Georgia’s trusted advocate for new refugees, helping to secure housing and ensure a smooth and seamless transition for our state’s newest and ever-resilient residents. This looks like finding and setting up the first homes refugees have when they come to Georgia, as well as providing clothing and basic necessities. Last year we set up 525 apartments for more than 2,000 individuals, and we expect to welcome close to 2,400 newcomers this year! We welcome your partnership and support! You can check out our website for ways you can give this Giving Tuesday and beyond. It takes partnership to provide a warm welcome and we are grateful for the many Georgians who work with us to make this a reality for so many. https://lnkd.in/dxN_uJ2Q