JRS UK held its first Day Centre of the year today, welcoming a total of 157 refugee friends to our centre in Wapping. A hot meal was served, and travel grants and toiletries were distributed to those left destitute by the UK asylum system whom we serve.
Having closed our centre for two weeks during the Christmas break, staff, volunteers and refugee friends were delighted to be together once again and a vibrant, spirit of happiness was present throughout the day. Our volunteer chefs prepared delicious food for the day including spicy rice, Chilli Con Carne, pasta and vegetables with a total of 142 meals served to our friends. In the true spirit of JRS community, staff, volunteers and friends shared their meals together and caught up over lunch.
Volunteers organised the distribution of essential toiletries including shampoo and toothpaste, as well as dozens of travel grants handed out enabling refugees to travel to our Day Centre and attend essential medical and legal appointments throughout the week. We also received three successful registrations from destitute refugee friends who will be joining the JRS community.
Over a dozen new refugee friends signed up to take part in JRS activities which run weekly to complement our Day Centre; including the Creative Arts group, Community Kitchen, and Prayer Groups, amongst many others.
Day Centre Officer, Liliane Djoukouo, said “I am very pleased that our first Day Centre of 2020 was so busy, and ran so smoothly. I received a lot of hugs and good wishes for the New Year today, and it was heart-warming to see many friendly faces so happy to be back at JRS again after the Christmas break. We’d like to thank all our dedicated volunteers who have helped us begin the New Year with a very positive sense of hope.”
JRS UK wishes you a Happy New Year!
If you’d like to volunteer with JRS and make a real difference to the lives of destitute refugees and those held in detention, visit our volunteering page to find out more.