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SPRING/SUMMER 2022 EDITION
Massanetta Springs provides a place for all people to experience God through renewal, discovery, and hospitality.
The Massanetta Community’s Generosity Welcomes Refugees By Executive Director, Clayton Rascoe
For several years Massanetta Springs has partnered with Church World Service (CWS) to provide temporary shelter for refugees arriving to start their new lives in the Shenandoah Valley. In August of 2021, it became clear there would be an acute need to provide shelter for some of the tens of thousands of Afghans who were fleeing their homes in advance of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Over the course of several meetings and a walk through of potential housing arrangements for the refugees, we knew we could provide the space. However, more than shelter would be needed. The Hotel Addition and Richardson do not have rooms with their own kitchens. If we were to help a large number of refugees, Massanetta would need to find a way not only to house refugees, but to feed three meals a day, provide snacks, and also meeting space. And so we turned to the Massanetta Community, and you responded! Thirty-six individuals and forty-seven congregations from eight different states donated all the funds needed for the meals, snacks, and meeting space. As of mid-January 120+ people have volunteered to serve at least one meal, helping us keep meal costs down, and easing the burden on our dining services staff at a time where hiring is difficult. When asked about the importance of the partnership to CWS’s efforts to resettle refugees, Susannah Lepley, Virginia Director of Immigration and Refugee Resettlement for CWS said, “Massanetta Springs staff, volunteers, and the board have made all of this possible, we would not be having an Afghan response here in the Shenandoah Valley if it wasn’t for the incredible partnership with Massanetta Springs.” CWS anticipates welcoming approximately 200 Afghan refugees through this partnership. (As of mid February 2022, about 180+ refugees have either been housed, or are currently being housed through this partnership.) While Lepley gives Massanetta Springs the credit for making this possible, we know that it is only because of the incredible generosity of all those who gave of their time, talent, and treasure that Massanetta Springs is meeting our mission to, “be a place for all people,” in this new and faithful way. While we anticipate the immediate work with Afghan refugees to wind down in early March of 2022, this partnership started in late 2016 and strengthened in the last several months, will continue to welcome refugees to our area in the years to come.
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