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SOUTH SALT LAKE — In a country where notebooks, pens and pencils only cost a few dollars, refugee families in Utah still struggle to provide their kids with school supplies, Asha Parekh said.
As director of the state Refugee Services Office, Parekh knows that many refugee families come from refugee camps and places where children may not have had opportunities to attend school.
"It’s only the stuff, but that makes a big difference when you have pencils and papers that are as shiny and new as your neighbor’s," she said.
The office of Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, on Tuesday donated school supplies to the Refugee Services Office. Community members traveled across the state to deliver the supplies to his office, Stewart said.
"For a lot of these families, it’s between having these supplies or having nothing," he said. "We did this last year, but we didn’t get quite this much. People have been more kind and more generous, and we’re very grateful for that."
Among the donated materials were more than 300 backpacks, 100 scientific calculators, and oodles of pencils, glue and notebooks.
The donations will go to various refugee services providers and community groups, and then be delivered to refugee families. Volunteers from the Refugee Services Office and Catholic Community Services of Utah unloaded the supplies Tuesday.
"Many refugee families are single-parent households. Refugee mothers struggle every day to meet their children's needs," said Halima Hussein, the women's coordinator for the Refugee Services Office. "These school supply donations are a big help because, unlike most American families, shopping for back-to-school is not a priority for refugee families."
Stewart also held a roundtable discussion with refugee services providers, focusing on refugees' needs and U.S. travel bans, among other issues facing refugees in the state.
"We don’t have any margin for error on this," he said. "We’re trying on one hand to ensure the security so that this program isn’t shut down, while at the same time being as welcoming as we can to those refugees who do come here to the United States."
Nearly 65,000 refugees currently live in Utah, Parekh said, with many more being resettled throughout the year.
"These are kids who’ve experienced really awful things in their home countries," she said. "For kids who are in classes with refugee kids, have compassion and awareness. … Just showing them kindness and giving them a break, reaching a hand of friendship can make a huge difference in the lives of the new refugee kids in your school."
