​July Outreach: Bookbags for Children in Foster Care
Each year in Wake County, nearly 500 children live in foster care. As we anticipate the start of the next traditional school year, our congregation is invited to donate new book bags for these children to help them start their learning experience with what they need.
We are also collecting the school supplies that will go inside the bags. Please donate what you are able to provide:

·      Sturdy bookbags for children, ages kindergarten (small) to high school (larger)
·      Packs of construction paper (25-50 count)
·      Composition books
·      Small packs of crayons
·      Packs of colored pencils
·      2” 3-ring binders
·      Wide-ruled notebook paper (pack)
·      Spiral notebooks - single subject, wide-ruled
·      Spiral notebooks - single subject, college-ruled
·      Sturdy pocket folders
·      Clorox wipes (small packages)
·      Small bottles of hand sanitizer
Please drop off the donations to the Faith Ministries Building (FMB) during this month in the marked bins. The deadline is Sunday, July 24. For questions, contact Margaret Albert, margaretcalbert@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting children in foster care.

Update on Welcoming Afghan Family
 
Celebration!
     This week our church helped an Afghan couple move into their first home in America. We supplied all the necessities for a home - dishes, a couch, a bed, a kitchen table and chairs, pots and pans, dish soap, towels, etc. We stocked up their refrigerator and their pantry. Since the couple is expecting their first child, our church bought them a crib. Two beautiful meals were delivered to the couple for their first nights in their new home. This week, thanks to a generous donation, our family now has a washer and dryer!  Our Afghan family is so grateful for all of the things that have been generously given to them.  As we left for the evening, the family was bursting with enthusiasm over their first home in America.
 
Needs
      The couple needs to buy a used car that is reliable. Right now, they take an uber to work, grocery store, and to doctor appointments.  If anyone knows of a used car that can be donated or is for sale, please contact Becky Pyrch at beckypyrch@gmail.com or Janet Livengood at janetblivengood77@gmail.com.  
 
Further Assistance Needed
    Finally, we will be helping this refugee family adjust to life in America. The husband has a job, but needs a car to get back and forth to work. They need help enrolling in ESL classes, getting a driver's license, learning how to pay bills, setting a budget for expenses and getting to doctor's appointments. We have already helped them negotiate a contract for internet service and assisted them with banking questions.  North Raleigh Presbyterian Church plans to continue to help our Afghan friends with these challenges.  If you would like to participate in this effort, email beckypyrch@gmail.com.
 

​The January Outreach Collection is The Women’s Center of Raleigh
 
The Women’s Center has been assisting homeless women for over 40 years. They provide a safe, low barrier, client-centered and trauma sensitive environment for women, where they can begin the stabilization and healing process.
 
They are agents of community support here to assist women in crisis. The Women’s Center is a multi-service safety and stabilization day center for women.  The center works to break the cycle of domestic violence, trauma, sexual assault, human trafficking, and homelessness. They provide basic needs that include meals, use of washers and dryers, showers, hygiene items, clothing, computers, mail service and more. Extended critical services are also accessible to every client such as medical and behavioral healthcare, case management, and job and housing support.  Please go to wcwc.org for more information.
 
Please consider donating the following items for the Womens Center

• $5 gift certificates from Walmart (please mark $ amount on each card with a Sharpie)
• Chapstick
• Small packs of Tissues
• New Brushes and Combs
• Winter coats (3X)
• Pop-top Meals (i.e. Chili and Ravioli)
• Scotch tape
• Copy paper
• Disposable Gloves (L & XL)
• Band Aids
• Sweatpants (2X)

Donation bins are in the FMB and Narthex. The collection will take place through February 10

​The Session has approved NRPC working toward becoming a COMMUNITY SPONSOR for an Afghan refugee family through Church World Service!
This means that members of our congregation will work with CWS to support an Afghan family, relocating to our area, as they strive toward self-sufficiency and sustainability.

The team’s time commitment will be 5-15 hours collectively for 4-6 months.
Some of the ways we will support the family are:
*Securing and furnishing housing
*Providing basic needs assistance and financial support
*Supporting self-sufficiency goals like practicing English and getting a job
Thanks to the generosity of congregation the funds for our sponsorship are already available, and Church World Service will provide guidance and additional help for us all along the process.
To be a part of this team, individuals will go through a background check with Church World Service, participate in a 2 hour training, and show proof of a COVID vaccination.
What an amazing opportunity this will be for our family of faith! Everyone in the congregation will have the chance to provide help for our family to some way—if you are interested in being a part of the team which directly works with our family, please contact Becky Pyrch at beckypyrch@gmail.com.