From New York City to Missoula, refugees have brought the joys of cultural foods to their new cities. In NYC, a group of entrepreneurs started a company called Eat OffBeat, a service delivering homestyle meals prepared by female refugees.
This article from Civil Eats says “programs like Eat OffBeat aim to help these women land on their feet.” Soft Landing Missoula aims to help our families share more of their cultural foods in Missoula, as well! Read more about Eat OffBeat and similar programs.
I feel like the relationship we have created, the family I mentor and myself, is mutual. We are gaining a lot from each other. I get excited about future things, I want them to teach me things, I want to learn how to cook their cuisine, I see the way they raise their kids and I think, gosh, wow, when I have kids can I send them over to your house?! I like the balance of it. I definitely want to help and be a mentor but I too want their help and mentorship. A balanced relationship is important to me.
I think people are eager, are excited. It’s really fun to have people come to town and be excited to be here. It’s fun for people to get involved in something where they feel good. I now have had the opportunity to make dolmas with a Syrian woman and through that created a friendship. In my opinion, people are striving to get involved and that is amazing!.
Something I have realized from all this, is people will have their opinions, and we will all have our opinions, nothing is going to be perfect. Some things are going to be negative and some things are going to be positive, but when you get to the face to face and you actually just meet someone, then you can make your judgement. There are going to be some people that come to Missoula that you aren’t going to get along with, but there are going to be those that become your friends, become your kids friends. And you’re going to have a future with them, and you’re going to share the experiences of life with them.
Greta Bates is a mentor through the IRC and a volunteer at Soft Landing Missoula.
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Photo and Interview by Elliott Natz
Lorraine Gardner, a senior at Hellgate High School, is one of our amazing childcare providers. Soft Landing provides free childcare during all of our English and Driver’s Education classes. Lorraine has been helping out on during English classes every Thursday and is a rockstar!
Special thank you to Lorraine and all of our other childcare volunteers! If you’re interested in helping with childcare, please email volunteer@softlandingmissoula.org.
I have been fortunate enough to travel internationally. I’ve been to Laos, in the middle of nowhere with one paved road, and the rest dirt roads that off shoot. There are tiny villages everywhere. Not being able to speak the language makes it hard to get anything done, and having someone who is willing to take me under their wing really helps. Someone to show me around, to introduce me to their friends, and to introduce me to the community. This type of help is invaluable. I could not imagine transplanting myself from my home to a foreign land, which is exactly what these folks are doing. Even more so, the refugees here need help not just to go to the store and meet people in the community, they need help to make a new life for themselves.
I used to manage a bunch of retail stores, and have experience with hiring. I’m glad this experience translates over to helping these new-comers find a job. If you’ve never been to a professional job interview, it can be intimidating. I’ve had several interviews and conducted more, so i’ve got a little insight on how to not make it so nerve wracking for those people trying to enter the workforce.
With refugees specifically, I was really looking forward to helping them with work, helping them find jobs to support themselves and integrate themselves into the community. But, of course it’s more than that, it’s bringing people to doctor’s appointments, taking them to English classes, and teaching them how to ride the bus. I’m incredibly grateful to be a volunteer and have this experience.
Ryan Nicodemus is a mentor through the IRC and a volunteer at Soft Landing Missoula
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Photo and interview by Elliott Natz
Soft Landing Missoula has received many questions about the travel ban and the impact it will have on our families. If you have questions about these recent news topics, the International Rescue Committee has provided information to guide you. Read more here.
We have some good news to share, as our beloved Mary Poole welcomed a little girl on June 23rd. Mary and her family are taking some much deserved time off to be with little Grace – we are so happy for her!
Molly, Carlyn and our amazing volunteers are keeping things running smoothly in the office. We continue to help our new families settle in their new homes, learn English, earn their driver’s license and hit Splash Montana! Thank you all for your extra help and hands! 🙂
We are thrilled that our Farmer’s Market booth continues to be such a success. Come see us every Saturday morning at the market near the XX’s! We still need volunteers to help run the booth on Saturdays. For more information or to sign up, email volunteer@softlandingmissoula.org.
For the next two weeks, we are running a Home and Personal Care Drive. We are in great need of these items for our families! Bring a donation by our office and help stock our shelves with laundry soap, cleaning supplies, shampoo, diapers and more.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Molly Cottrell
P.S.: Check out the Family Friendly Celebration of Hmong American Culture at the MAM, opening on July 26th!
Blia Lee, Flower Cloth, appliqué and embroidery, 1991, MAM Collection, Donated by Susan Lindbergh Miller in honor of Montana’s Hmong Community, 2011.
Missoula Art Museum will host a series of events, including a family-friendly celebration of Hmong American culture on July 26 to coincide with the MAM exhibition, “From Flower Cloth to Story Cloth: Hmong Textiles in the MAM Collection,” on display through September 20th in the Carnegie Gallery. The event is free and open to the public.
Guests are invited to tour the colorful exhibition and enjoy traditional dance performances by Annalysse Moua, Athena Moua, and Ntsailias Vang. Blong Vang will play the traditional qeej instrument and Mao Thao will sell her embroidery. Food is available from the Hmong food truck, The Noodle Wagon.
From Flower Cloth to Story Cloth marks the third time MAM has presented a significant exhibition of Hmong textiles. Previous exhibitions were organized in 1978 to help Montanans better understand and appreciate the complexities of their new neighbors as they escaped persecution in Laos and resettled in Missoula. Another major Hmong textile exhibition for MAM was co-curated in 1993 by Vee Kiatoukaysy, Tou Yang, and Susan Lindbergh Miller. The exhibition celebrates Missoula’s diversity and stands as an example of the significant Hmong American contributions to the Missoula community. It is funded in part by First Interstate Bank and First Interstate BancSystem Foundation.
For more information, please contact the Missoula Art Museum at 406.728.0447, visit the MAM website at www.missoulaartmuseum.org
As our new refugee families continue to settle into their homes in Missoula, they still have a need for both personal and home care supplies. Today is the first day of our two-week drive! To donate new, unused items for our families, simply bring them to Soft Landing Missoula’s office at 939 Stephens Ave, Suite C.
Items listed below are needed most, but any unused care items would be welcome. Items are appreciated before August 1. Thank you!
Personal care items:
Full-size items are appreciated!
Home care items:
We are thrilled that our Farmer’s Market booth continues to be such a success. Every week, some of the refugees prepare dishes that are native to their home countries. They feature recipes like home-roasted green coffee beans, delectable baklava, and savory injera – recipes that have traveled with them from their native homes all the way to Missoula. Our families are eager to share these products with our community!
The Farmer’s Market booth was conceived as an opportunity for our families to practice entrepreneurial and business skills. They commit time to prepare the foods and keep all of the profits from their sales.
Stop by and see us every Saturday morning at the market near the XXXX’s!
Lauren Fritzsche is one of the rockstars making our new Farmer’s Market booth such a success! We are so grateful that Lauren joined the Soft Landing volunteer team shortly after arriving in Missoula. If you haven’t stopped by the booth yet, you can find Lauren and her team at the market near the XXXX’s on Higgins every Saturday this summer!
