This blog is part of a series of posts by our Social Media Coordinator, Rivka Yeker who sat down with Cassidy Rappaport, Refugee Matching Grant Systems Coordinator – Refugee & Immigrant Community Services (RICS), Heartland Human Care Services, Inc. A Partner of Heartland Alliance.
What kinds of organizations does Heartland typically like to partner with?
RICS partners with a variety of organizations to ensure the most support for our participants. We partner with companies and organizations the donate all of the furniture, cleaning supplies, and clothes that our new participants get upon arrival. We work with community organizations that our participants attend cultural and religious events at. We work closely with a variety of mental health support providers, specifically focused on working with refugees. Additionally, we reach out to companies all over the city of Chicago to have the opportunity to employ our newly arrived refugees. The companies, overwhelmingly, report back that the refugees are some of their best and most loyal employees. They continue to contact us with more open positions, asking us for referrals. We reached out to Meez Meals after seeing their ads around the city and they were stoked about the idea. They took on a handful of our participants as employees, helping them with their hiring needs, and making a world of difference to those folks and their families as they now have an additional income. The participants also love the chance to try some new and interesting food from all over the world as a part of their jobs.
Meez Meals cares about healthy eating and making sure people get to adjust what they consume based on their dietary needs. How does this align with Heartland’s message?
RICS has a very holistic way of looking at health, especially with the population we work with. Many of our folks relied on food that was rationed to them by the camp, with little to no choice on what they got. Upon arrival here, they have access to food stamps and massive grocery stores, with endless food options. We work with the families in English class and weekly Cultural Orientations on healthy eating, hygiene, safety, and we even have an upcoming field trip where they will learn to cook with American ingredients. This is also the first time many of them have had regular access to medical care for chronic illnesses or preventable diseases. We also do a lot of events here at the office where we encourage participants to bring their own dishes for a potluck, giving each other the opportunity to try new foods and explore new cultures. Additionally, we host an annual RICSGiving, which is our version of Thanksgiving. At this event, the staff cook and provide traditional Thanksgiving dishes for the participants, while we sing, dance, and watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.”
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