Shoe donation warmly ‘Embraced’
Thanks to your generosity, we collected 277 pairs of good second hand shoes at Down Cathedral on St Patrick’s Day. We were also delighted to recieve a donation from The Wallace High School, Lisburn, where Bishop Harold was speaking recently.
Your shoes are already on the move. After a sorting out process we have already been able to give bags of shoes to Belfast City Mission, St Vincent de Paul and EMBRACE NI.
Our Diocesan Communications Officer, Annette McGrath, is pictured here handing over just one of the excellent pairs of men’s shoes that we gave to Aneta Dabek, Development Officer for EMBRACE. She warmly welcomed the donation, saying:
“What a wonderful idea to do a collection of shoes on St. Patrick’s day, and share these gifts with those in need. People who came here to find refuge are in an especially difficult situation and these practical gifts of love are so encouraging.”
EMBRACE is an inter–church organisation whose main role as one of encouraging church communities to make this a more welcoming place for all people from minority ethnic backgrounds.
The shoes are going to NICRAS (the Northern Ireland Community of Refugees and Asylum Seekers) in Belfast. Around 200 people seek asylum here each year, from countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Iran and China. Some have made very long and difficult journeys and most do not know that they will arrive here when they leave their home country.
Jill Marrs, Administrative Assistant for EMBRACE, outlined the harsh realities facing refugees and asylum seekers in Northern Ireland:
“People who are seeking sanctuary in the UK aren’t allowed to work and only receive a weekly allowance of around £30 – £40. This means that buying clothes is usually well beyond their means and so the donation of quality used goods, such as the shoes donated by the diocese is especially valued.
“Distanced from family and community, a familiar culture, language and climate and often traumatized by past experiences, people seeking sanctuary begin a new journey through the asylum system and in understanding and learning to live in Northern Ireland. It is our hope and prayer that as they walk a mile (and more) in your shoes they would begin to take small steps of integration and inclusion.”
Find out more about EMBRACE workshops for churches here.
