The “Welcome to the Heartland” campaign led by Community Support for Immigrants (CoSI) has successfully concluded with the in-kind donation drive on May 21. The greater Grinnell community offered very generous support through donations of bedding, linens, kitchen-wares, and other household goods that will benefit refugees in the central Iowa region.
Members of the 2022 Grinnell Tiger football team, under the direction of new head coach, Adam Hadenfeldt, loaded box upon box into the van at the end of the day. CoSI volunteers delivered the items to the central Iowa distribution warehouse on May 24, where the refugee resettlement agencies (Catholic Charites, Lutheran Services of Iowa, and U.S.C.R.I. will use the supplies as they set up apartments for the new Iowans.
In addition to the in-kind goods, nearly $ 600 in gift cards were donated on the collection day. The agencies will distribute these gift cards to the refugees to help them purchase necessities that are otherwise unavailable by donation.
CoSI wishes to thank the people of the greater Grinnell area who have extended such amazing generosity to those who have had to flee their homes in the face of war. Since the “Welcome to the Heartland” campaign began in February, our community has donated more than $ 25,000, in addition to the in-kind donations received on May 21.
This effort would not have been possible without the generous spirit of people in our community and the efforts of CoSI volunteers who helped plan and host the activities of the past four months. CoSI wants to extend special thanks to Kevin and Sue Kolbe and the Ramsey-Weeks Realty team for providing the transport van to take the goods to Des Moines, and to the football team for loading it. Thank you, also, to the Drake Community Library for offering the Caulkins Community Room as the location for the donation drive.
Although the “Welcome to the Heartland” campaign formally culminated with the in-kind donation day, CoSI continues to accept cash donations to benefit refugees and immigrants in central Iowa. Checks can be channeled to CoSI, % First Presbyterian Church, 1025 Fifth Ave., Grinnell, IA 50112. Details of CoSI’s ongoing service work can be found at the CoSI website: https://cosi-Iowa.org.
Community Support for Immigrants (CoSI) hosted the “Welcome to the Heartland” donation drive at the Drake Public Library on May 21 to support the newly arriving refugees in central Iowa. Volunteers, including Coach Hadenfeldt and members of the Tiger football team, moved the donations into to the vehicles transporting the items to Des Moines. Pictured from left to right: First row – Vanessa Preast, Jessiah Miller, Kaiden Brobst, Ethan Walker, Jake Van Comperrolle, Carson Penyich, Will Burkhead, Cole Blackford, Andrew Peterson; Second row – Lynn Cavanagh, Al Ricks, Kinnick Johnson, Adam Hadenfeldt, Mark Hadenfeldt, Michael Hadenfeldt; Third row – Mo Pelzel & John Ashby.
Community Support for Immigrants (CoSI) volunteers Sue Kolbe, David Ketter, Jonathan Santos, Lynn Cavanagh, Al Ricks and John Ashby delivered the donations from the “Welcome to the Heartland” campaign, and presented almost $ 600 in gift cards to the Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa warehouse in Des Moines on May 24.
