FORWARD

2020 FORWARD

By Jenna Fischer, Secretary of Board of Directors, Miry’s List

In 2016, my husband Lee announced he’d seen a post on Facebook asking people to donate supplies to recently resettled refugee families in El Cajon, CA. We’d spoken of our desire to be of service — to use our time and resources to help others. This felt like a great place to start. We went through the lists, and began packing boxes of donations.

At the drop site, Lee learned of the ongoing need for cleaning supplies, and we decided to organize our own charity drive. We created boxes for 24 families filled with cleaning supplies, toiletries, new towels, bathmats, kitchen items and so on a sort of “starter box”. We did this with the help of our friends – our hive. They dropped off items from our lists, we packed the 24 boxes and, this time, we drove to El Cajon ourselves and made the deliveries.

We met with families and heard their stories first hand – usually over a cup of tea. I tried to imagine what it would feel like to flee my country and have to settle in a new place, with all new customs, new foods, new smells, a new language. Everyone I met seemed to be far more positive than I think I would have been. It was beyond inspiring to see the enthusiasm they felt for their new lives in America, their gratitude for being safe, and their resolve to begin again. It made me want to do whatever I could to make their journey easier.

During this same trip, I noticed that a number of the children didn’t have proper shoes. School was starting soon and I knew how important a good pair of athletic shoes was for kids, as well as school supplies. So, I called PUMA and I got them to donate 200 pairs of shoes. At the same time, we called our HIVE and collected 200 backpacks filled with school supplies. We loaded up another U-Haul and drove to El Cajon to make the deliveries.

It was on this trip that we met Miry. She was there to help distribute the shoes and backpacks. And as anyone knows, once you meet Miry, you don’t un-meet Miry. She’s one of the most driven and inspiring people I’ve ever met. She is called to action and she calls everyone she meets to action.

After our long delivery day, two residents of El Cajon, Rafid and Anfal, hosted an incredible meal for the volunteers. This is one of the perks of doing deliveries. We had a long conversation with Miry, where we expressed our desire to do more. I said, “Okay, we collected clothes and coats, we collected toiletries, we’ve collected shoes and backpacks, what do you need us to

When we share our talents and stories and bond as a community we can accomplish great things.

collect next?” She said “Jenna, I need money. Can you help me raise money for Miry’s List?”

And then, she told me her vision for Miry’s List, which included but went beyond giving away supplies. She talked about creating a system of wish lists by which families could curate a list of their specific needs and people could send items directly to those families. She talked about a supper club where people would pay to attend a dinner catered by a refugee family – the family would get paid to cook, thus creating employment and a community of people supporting one another. She went on and on. She talked for probably an hour. Each idea seemed more daunting and idealistic and harder to do than the next.

Just a few years later, all of these programs exist, and more than that, they are thriving.

But, guess what? She has more ideas. Miry doesn’t want people to arrive in this country in a deficit. She wants to change that. And, she wants to create more jobs. She hopes that Miry’s List will be able to employ refugees to run these services that help refugees. She doesn’t just want to give away boxes of supplies. She wants to offer services that help families thrive.

My journey with Miry’s List started almost four years ago with an innocent drop-off at a church. Now I’m on the board of directors for Miry’s List and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of the team that turns Miry’s ideas into reality. Now more than ever, we need to come together to support our fellow human beings. When we share our talents and stories and bond as a community, we can accomplish great things. Miry’s List is proof of that. u

Miry Whitehill, Founder & Executive Director