Soft Landing Missoula is looking for an AmeriCorps Volunteer to join our dynamic team for the 2020-2021 school year. This full time position will be specifically focused on working with and supporting refugee youth in accessing and pursuing higher education.

Request for additional information or questions about the position can be emailed to molly@softlandingmissoula.org.

Position Title: Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps

Benefits:

·       $538/biweekly (pre-tax)

·       Healthcare coverage

·       Childcare assistance, if eligible

·       $6,195.00 Education Award upon successful completion of service

·       Professional development opportunities

·       10 personal days and 10 medical/sick days

·       Eligible for hiring preferences at Employers of National Service locations

Commitment: September 1, 2020 – August 31, 2021

How to Apply:

Applicants must apply through the Montana Campus Compact website. The application can be found at: https://mtcompact.org/americorps-vista/apply-to-serve/full-time-member-application-process/

To learn more about national service with Montana Campus Compact, visit https://mtcompact.org/

Connection…

This is a word I have been thinking about and hearing about so much over the past 2 weeks.  Many of us seem to be struggling to find that balance between social isolation (think: shelter in place, working and parenting from home), connection (think; friendships, hugs, seeing extended family, loved ones, and co-workers), and over stimulation (think: there is such thing as too much information- even in times of crisis right?).  While this is certainly a personal challenge, it is also an organizational challenge and we hope we can hit the sweet spot- a heartfelt true connection that brings value to the lives of those we interact with and serve.  While I don’t want to downplay the challenges that our community faces, including newly resettled refugees who are some of the most economically vulnerable among us (many have not yet had enough time to build the needed financial security to get through something like this unscathed), I have also been so fortunate to see beautiful silver linings emerge and one of these is connection – even if it is connection at a distance.  For Soft Landing, this unprecedented situation has grown and solidified bonds with partner organizations, supporters, and the refugee families we serve. In some ways, we feel even more connected because we have had to step a bit out of our comfortable bubble we had found over the last couple years with our core programming and back into the unknown (not a place we are unfamiliar with!).  So yes, while this crisis is mind-blowingly challenging on so many levels- there is actually a lot we can do as individuals and as a community to make sure we come out on the other side stronger, better equipped for future challenges, and yes, more connected than ever.

I want to share with you a bit about what we are doing to make sure the roughly 45 refugee and immigrant families we serve are staying safe and getting what they need in this uncertain time. This has been a substantial (temporary) shift in programming for us and I want to say here, that the Soft Landing team has stepped up to the plate with grace and passion- THANK YOU Molly, Greta and Maria- you guys are my heroes.  Also, we are doing this with so many great partners, including the International Rescue Committee, Missoula Alliance Church, the Missoula City/County Health Department, and Missoula County Public Schools and we are in AWE of how many individuals and organizations have stepped up to assist those in our community affected most. 

Here are some quick bullet points about what we are up to and later in this (way too long, I know…) email, I will be posting a Zoom link to hop on a “Town Hall” video chat with us to hear more or ask any questions you may have!  Kind of a fun way to get some face time with you all, many of you we dearly miss seeing in the office regularly, so I really hope you will join us on Friday April 3rd at 11 am OR 7 pm (MT) on Zoom (same content, two different time slots).

SLM’s last 2 1/2 weeks (and the foreseeable future):

1- Research and dissemination of culturally appropriate information about COVID-19 safety and available resources (changing constantly) in native languages so that refugees can have equal access to information.

2- Delivery of supplies (food, diapers, etc…) to families that already struggle with transportation, many of whom work in the service industry and have been laid off due COVID-19.  (Shout out to the amazing work of the Missoula Food Bank!!!)

3- Purchasing of food and supplies for affected families.  This especially includes culturally specific food items that are essential staples in these family’s diets that are not available through the Missoula Food Bank (ie: teff flour for injera, cornmeal for ugali, etc…).

4- Providing technology assistance (securing donated or purchased computers and helping to set them up, get them online, etc..) for middle school and high school kids during school closures to make sure they have equal access to education. 

5- Organizing and providing appropriate training for volunteers for online tutoring for middle school/ high school kids to support MCPS online learning curriculum.

6- Providing support to families with young school aged children through dropping off books and school materials and talking with parents about academic activities (such as trying to have the kids reading for at least an hour a day).

7- Ensuring that refugee adults with lost and/or reduced employment are able to access available and appropriate financial resources such as Unemployment Insurance, TANF, SNAP, etc… 

8- Providing connection to community for refugee families. SLM is doing regular check-ins (per most recent safety guidelines and social distancing rules) with each family and coordinating with partners to make sure physical and emotional needs are being met during this time. Although this is a confusing and isolating time for many refugee families, knowing that they are connected to a community and have a circle of people who care about them is reassuring and important to their mental health.

9- Connecting with our Soft Landing community- this is where you come in!  Hop on the Zoom Town Hall with us this Friday, or email me to suggest another time that would work for you to connect!  We are here and working hard and want you to continue to feel connected to this work you have so generously supported with your time and resources!

OK!  Thanks for making it this far in this email update, and we really do hope to “see” you Friday to chat more! Hang in there guys.  This is hard.  Never hesitate to reach out to us and PLEASE, stay well in health, mind, and spirit.

In love and gratitude,

Mary

Friday April 3rd- 11am

Town Hall style video meeting to chat about what has been going on with refugee families in Missoula and how you can help!
 

11 am Zoom Link

Friday April 3rd- 7pm

Town Hall style video meeting to chat about what has been going on with refugee families in Missoula and how you can help!
 

7 pm Zoom Link

Enjoy these super boring pictures of us Zooming the last couple weeks with board members, donors, and University classes- intended to make us look savy and smart but which will almost certainly result in karmatic unplanned technical difficulties with our Town Hall calls! 

In order to connect with all of you- so many of whom we miss seeing on the office on a regular basis- we have 2 time slots set on Friday April 3rd- 11 am MT and 7pm MT for a Town Hall style video meeting. We will talk about what our past few weeks have looked like in trying to support refugee families during the COVID-19 crisis and hopefully get to hear ideas and thoughts from you and your experiences in these unprecedented times.

Both meetings are on Friday April 3rd and are meant to cover the same content, we just picked two times to accommodate varying schedules.

Join at 11 am MT – Join URL: https://zoom.us/j/629333558

Join at 7 pm MT – Join URL: https://zoom.us/j/535266733

Please join us for one of these time slots- WE MISS YOU!

WTF.

I’m pissed.  I’m confused. I’m sad. I know that you guys usually get a sunny message from me to “hold firm” to “celebrate the beauty”, but right now I am just plain fired up and I need you all to know why.  The US travel ban for select countries that has been in and out and back in again since 2017, just got expanded. Immigrants from Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Eritrea, and Nigeria, as well as diversity visas from Sudan and Tanzania have now been added to the original 2018 ban of people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, and North Korea. 

 So, I know these things are nuanced.  I know they are not black and white. While I honestly don’t feel like I have near the expertise to understand the minutiae of all of the countries on this ban, and there is so much to know, I do feel solidly able to speak to the addition of Eritreans to this list, as well as the standing ban on Syrians. I am not an expert, but the last 4.5 years of my life has been spent learning the best I can about what is going on in these countries and with new friends in my life that I have come to love, admire, cherish, and trust.

 So, the ban.  The excuse for the original and extended ban is our safety.  It is said that the reason for the ban is that these countries can’t or won’t provide the US with the appropriate standard of information on its citizens coming to the US (ie: in the case of Eritrea and Syria- it’s citizens that are trying to flee).  Well, no crap.

 Why would they? Why would the Eritrean government, one that is creating over 5,000 refugees a MONTH (so so many of whom are children), one that is brutally imprisoning and torturing its own people in secret underground prisons, one that uses indefinite forced military conscription of men and women to create what amounts to slave labor for those at the top- why on earth would THIS government have any motivation to comply with US standards of reporting so that those who have fled can seek safety?  Let’s look at Syria- from the original travel ban. Why would a regime that is CURRENTLY still holding millions of its own people under siege, to the tune of hundreds of civilians (yes- civilian men, women, and CHILDREN) still being killed each month, care about complying with the US? Just because their governments are failing them, why do these families deserve our protection any less? Shouldn’t these situations warrant EXTRA assistance and hospitality to the survivors of this horror?

 But here is the kicker.  Does not allowing entry of a tiny portion of highly screened refugees (less than 1% of refugees end up being resettled in the US), even those from countries that don’t give us the exact level of information we ask for, make us any less safe? The answer is a resounding “no”.  The US system for screening refugees is strong. It is safe. To the point of ridiculous. When the screening is already so thorough that it takes multiple years and you have over 3.5 million refugees that have come to the US in the past 4 decades and not one person has been killed in a terrorist attack on US soil due to a refugee, it’s a dang tight system. Let’s give ourselves a little bit of credit. Why are we pretending we are weak? We already do a great job of providing safety to refugees and to the US at the same time- without these travel bans. 

 I know I am venting (ie: ranting) and I am “sorry, not sorry”. But the truth is, this ban is a continued smear campaign on refugees and immigrants, further impacts a dismally low number of refugee arrivals, and most tragically, it keeps families apart. Families that are now Missoulians. Families that are our own. I keep going back to the saying, “There is no such thing as someone else’s child”. We have to stand up for each other. 

 It may feel like there is not a lot we can do to change things, but we can pledge to keep fighting, to keep pushing.  We will not be caught hopeless and helpless and we are asking you to join us in strength. Soft Landing has a lot of events coming up and at each event, we will provide post cards you can write in support of refugees and robust resettlement numbers. We will provide info on who you can be calling. We will bear witness to films documenting the tragedy of countries at war, yet the strength and resilience of their people. We will sell you delicious cookies that will excite your Valentine AND put essential income into the pockets of refugee chefs. We will partake in the grand opening of an incredible all-ages art center (the new ZACC) by helping refugees share their own art in a public space. We ask you to stand up and be counted as an ally to refugees and immigrants by joining us for these events, then using those experiences to not only talk to your elected leaders, but also your friends and your family (extended included). Let’s not let our frustration paralyze us, but encourage us to do more to lift up our voices in support of refugee families.

In love and gratitude,

Mary Poole
ED Soft Landing Missoula

P.S.- There is SOOOOO much going on in February!  You can check out the info below and/or keep an eye at our on-line calendar to participate.

Valentine’s Day Cookie Box Sale

It’s here!  Ordering starts NOW and only goes through the end of the week (Sunday Feb 9th)! Decadent Baklava and 6 other types of amazing cookies to tempt your Valentine- or to enjoy yourself!  Profits go directly to the local refugee chefs who hand-make these treats and provide critical support for these families to get established in the community.
 

ORDER NOW

SLM is Hiring!  

We are incredibly excited to announce a new position with Soft Landing’s food based programming- United We Eat.  We are looking for a Program Manager experienced in business and/or non-profit management with a passion for food and it’s intersection with social justice.  This will be a dynamic and creative position – not to mention, a lot of FUN!
 

LEARN MORE

Events and Opportunities

>> Community Day for Soft Landing at The Notorious P.I.G.- TOMORROW Feb 4th.  Join us for lunch, dinner, or anything in between and SLM gets 15% of the day’s proceeds.  More info on theFB event. >>

>> SLM teams up with the ZACC for February’s First Friday Art Walk and their Grand Re-opening this Friday Feb. 7th. Come see the new space and enjoy art by our Congolese neighbors.  More info here. >>

>> YES!  It’s almost here!  The Big Sky Documentary Film Fest, running Feb 14th-23rd, is one of our favorite events all year and we are sponsoring 4 films this year! Come check it out and maybe we will see you at one of our 7 screenings during this week! Check out our schedule and more info here. >>

>> Dinner for the Displaced.  Hands On Global, a Helena nonprofit, is hosting and informational and fundraising dinner for their work providing medical relief in refugee camps around the world as well as at our southern border. This is a really amazing group.  Come support their incredibly important work with us on Saturday Feb 22 at 6p at St. Paul Lutheran Church.  More info here. >>
 

Let’s get this party started!

Is the turning of the year always a reflective time? Do I really have to take a look back at 2019? With the wacky news cycle, the constant bombardment of one thing after another and a million little changes in between, I can understand why this term “reflection” takes a bit of the breath out of me these days. Right now, I am much more excited to look ahead in projection rather than behind in reflection, and some times you just have to grin and listen to your heart- so I will.

Instead of trying to wrap one more brain cell (or heart cell as it stands) around wrong-headed decisions to reduce the national number of refugee arrivals in 2020, in a time when more people are displaced world wide by war and conflict (yup- not even counting natural disasters, fire, and climate) than ever in recorded history and what that might mean for the institution of resettlement in America let alone the world, I am going to rejoice in the positive decisions our state and local government have made to support and welcome refugees.  I am going to celebrate the work done by local organizations such as the Lifelong Learning Center, the International Rescue Committee, Missoula County Public Schools, Job Services Missoula, and more, to work with refugees with an emphasis on dignity and opportunity. I am going to rally alongside our diverse and compassionate faith communities, and I am going to be in awe of volunteers- ALWAYS the volunteers- as you all make this world go round. I am going to scheme, build, grow, and maybe even learn how to say “no” every now and then with the most incredible humans that make up the staff of Soft Landing. And last but certainly not least, with fierce gratitude, I am going to walk, play, dance, and eat beside wonderful new neighbors that now call Missoula home. That is my proactive plan for 2020.

There is plenty of room in this plan for you 😉 

In love and gratitude,

Mary Poole
ED Soft Landing Missoula

PS- We hope that you have all recovered from the gluttony of the holidays, as well as the frantic fasting in recovery of said gluttony, and are ready to join us for more adventures in food in 2020! Look below for information on our January Supper Club- An Eritrean feast that is sure to sell out quickly so hop to it!- as well as a job listing for a new full time employee with Soft Landing Missoula to manage all of our food adventures so we can grow this incredibly well received branch of our programming. 

January Supper Club

Join us at Scotty’s Table on Monday January 27th for delicious Eritrean food full of warmth, spice, and love.  Similar to Ethiopian food, sharing in this family style meal is a real treat. Click below to view more details and reserve your spot. Our first Supper Club of the year, spots are sure to go QUICKLY!

RESERVE NOW

Job Opportunity

Do you love food and people and have experience in business and/or nonprofit management?  We are looking for a creative, energetic, and experienced person to run our food-based, social enterprise program- United We Eat. Check out the Job post and more info below.

LEARN MORE

Events and Opportunities

>> We are looking for volunteers to join our fun and rewarding after school tutoring program for middle school and high school students.  We especially welcome folks interested in tutoring math and science and the kids would be especially excited for someone who shares their love of Hot Cheetos. Check out this an other volunteer needs here. >>

>> Do you have experience in setting up websites and would be interested in volunteering to help a woman set up a simple website with instruction on how to manage it for her new small business?  This is a fun opportunity to be a part of economic sufficiency and work one on one with a new refugee entrepreneur! Email mary@softlandingmissoula.org >>

We are so so excited to announce that we have been fortunate enough to secure the necessary funding to formalize, grow, and bring sustainability to our food-based programming- United We Eat. This program has been incredibly well received by the Missoula community and refugee participants alike and we are looking forward to bringing on new member of the team to help make the magic happen! You will find the job post below- feel free to share!

UNITED WE EAT PROGRAM MANAGER 

Soft Landing Missoula (SLM) is looking for a Program Manager to oversee, develop, and manage all aspects related to SLM’s social enterprise food-based programming- United We Eat.

About Soft Landing Missoula and United We Eat:

In the fall of 2015, Soft Landing Missoula was born from a grassroots effort by Missoula community members with the goal to do more for refugees fleeing war and persecution. At the time, Montana was one of only two states in the nation that was not participating in resettlement. One short year later, and a lot of hard work by many, we saw the arrival of the first refugee family to land in Missoula in decades. SLM now functions as a 501(c)3 non-profit with a mission to help Missoula, Montana be a welcoming, supportive, and informed community that can assist refugees and immigrants to integrate and thrive. Working alongside many incredible partners, SLM provides ongoing support to refugees by helping them meet their physical, educational, and social needs as they settle into our community.

United We Eat is SLM’s food-based programming that has a goal of using food to provide a cultural bridge to our greater community, as well as social and economic opportunity for Missoula’s refugees and immigrants. For families forced to leave everything behind, the unique things that can be carried, the things that are kept in hearts and heads, oftentimes are recipes and traditions surrounding food. In 2017, with interest and requests from refugee families, SLM began to provide a platform for people to feel valued by sharing their food with their new community and bring a little bit of that tradition to Missoula. Evolving over the years to include assistance at Missoula’s two farmers’ markets, partnerships with restaurants for “Supper Club” dinners, organization of holiday cookie sales, and most recently, the launching a successful pilot program in the summer of 2019 that provided 150 pick-up meals a week, United We Eat has become an integral part of Soft Langing’s programming. In 2019 alone, we worked with 12 refugee and immigrant chefs to create and sell around 2,500 meals and thousands of cookies. This engaged over 600 customers and put over $20,000 directly into the hands of our chefs. 

Job Description: 

We are currently looking for an experienced, creative, and compassionate “people person” to maintain and manage our growing United We Eat program. The United We Eat Program Manager will work directly with refugee and immigrant chefs, volunteers, and other Soft Landing staff and employees to create and manage a sustainable social enterprise that provides a beautiful and valuable product for Missoulians, economic benefit for the chefs, and is financially stable for Soft Landing Missoula. They will be responsible for working within a budget, maintaining a system to track results, and participating in fundraising activities for the program. This is a very hands-on position that will be working both behind the scenes to manage the website, sales, accounting, and marketing of a “business”, as well as managing the kitchen while working directly with chefs and customers to create a quality experience for all. This is a dynamic job that will have variable daytime, evening, and possible weekend hours.

This is a full time, 35/hrs (negotiable) per week salaried position at $31,000-$35,000/yr, DOE, for someone interested in food-based social enterprise, refugee and immigrant issues, and leadership of innovative programming. 

Benefits include:

• Medical, Dental, Vision

• 4 weeks paid vacation

• 6 weeks paid parental leave

• Flexible scheduling and an awesome team of co-workers in a relaxed but hard working office

This position reports to the Executive Director of Soft Landing Missoula.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Program Management:

• Manage all aspects of SLM’s food-based programming including Supper Clubs, Farmers’ Market assistance, cookie sales, United We Eat @home, and other special events.

• Maintain clear and current records tracking budget, trends, and program results.

• Management of chefs, volunteers, and other personnel such as dishwashers, a possible VISTA, and/or intern.

• Maintain a courteous, kind, and responsive environment for all; chefs, volunteers, personnel, and customers.

• Maintain current and explore additional community partnerships for program success.

• Work with Executive Director to evaluate and implement sustainable program growth.

• Work with Executive Director and Donor Engagement and Impact Director to fundraise for the program.

Kitchen Management (currently specific to United We Eat @home):

• Complete and maintain ServSafe Certification through Missoula City/County Health Department.

• Ensure that all food and products are consistently prepared and served safely in accordance with all relevant food safety agency requirements.

• Submit and track all required paperwork with the Health Department and other applicable agencies.

• Prepare and transcribe home recipes in coordination with the chef to a product that is able to be commercially created in large quantities, utilizing available tools as needed, such as video examples, translators, and online imagery. Experienced volunteer resources also may be utilized for calculating quantity.

• Coordinate and purchase all ingredients and equipment needs, including unusual and specific needs.

• Directly assist chef and kitchen personnel (both paid and volunteer) where needed to ensure standards and efficient operations.

• Establish and keep tidy electronic records for all chef bios and recipes, including portion sizes, any ingredients with special ordering procedures, and serving directions.

• Control ingredient and packaging cost and food waste.

• Coordinate and document volunteer and other personnel hours.

• Ensure that all equipment is kept clean and in working condition through personal inspection and by following the facility’s preventative maintenance programs.

• Provide orientation of program rules, policies and procedures and supervise the training of chefs, kitchen volunteers, and employees in safe operation of all kitchen equipment and utensils.

• Train and monitor kitchen personnel in cleanliness and sanitation practices.

• Maintaining cleaning schedules for the kitchen facility including floors, mats, walls, hoods, other equipment and food storage areas according to facility and program policy.

• Check and maintain proper food holding and refrigeration temperature control points.

• Prepare required paperwork, including receipts, reports, and schedules in an organized and timely manner.

• Work with customers to resolve concerns in a timely and courteous manner.

Website and Marketing:

• Maintain the unitedweeatmt.org website (hosted through Shopify) to ensure accurate and current sales options.

• Utilize Mail Chimp to send out program emails to customers on a regular basis. 

• Manage social media surrounding United We Eat programming, including the use of volunteers and other personnel to assist in this. 

• Work with the Executive Director to create additional marketing opportunities.

Qualifications:

• Energetic, compassionate, humble and a positive sense of humor.

• Innovative and creative thinker.

• Experience and interest in working with diverse communities.

• Interest in economic opportunity for under-served populations.

• At least 2 years experience in non-profit and/or business management.

• Proficient in Google Drive, spreadsheet use, email, website management, and social media platforms.

• Passion for and significant experience in the food industry- both front and back of house.

• Ability to acquire and maintain personal certifications necessary for the job with an interest for additional personal skills development.

• Able to speak and write passionately and articulately about the mission of Soft Landing Missoula as a whole as well as the United We Eat program. 

To apply, please email a cover letter explaining your interest and a resume including 3 references to info@softlandingmissoula.org. Applications encouraged by Feb 10th, but position will be open until filled.

Join us for the first Supper Club of 2020 and enjoy a delicious Eritrean meal cooked with love at Scotty’s Table! We are so excited to feature the incredible cooking of Haben Asgedom and Merry Gebray both beloved regulars on the Soft Landing food circuit for their many amazing meals and traditional Eritrean coffee!

The Soft Landing Missoula Supper Club aims to introduce the incredible culinary talent of Missoula’s newest neighbors and international residents, whose rich and flavorful cooking traditions provide a cultural bridge and enrich our shared community.

Where: Scotty’s Table- 131 S. Higgins Ave- below the Wilma, accessed from Caras Park area.

When: Monday, January 27th.  Doors open at 5:30pm and food will be served at 6:00pm

Cost: Eat: $40/person Give: $60/person Love: $80/person**

How: Call Soft Landing Missoula at (406) 493-0504 to make a reservation M-F, 9am-4pm

Please direct any further questions to info@softlandingmissoula.org

**Payment will be collected after the meal, but when you pay you will have the option to: Eat: $40 for a delicious family style dinner, where a portion of the cost covers ingredients and staff time, and the rest goes to the guest chefs. Give: $60 gets you the same delicious dinner, but with an additional $20 donation going to benefit the guest chefs and Soft Landing Missoula. Love: $80 gives an additional $40 donation to the guest chef and Soft Landing Missoula to collectively make this an unforgettable evening! All levels are welcome and appreciated!

All the Feels…

It has been a busy time and there is just a lot to keep up with at the end of the year. Of all the things I have recently written about- this good news may be the most important.

For those of you that have been following along, you know that the administration recently signed an Executive Order stating that “States and Localities” must provide formal written consent for refugee resettlement to continue to occur.  Many of us have been working behind the scenes to ensure that resettlement continues in Missoula and we were proud to join the International Rescue Committee and many others this past Wednesday to witness statements from the hearts of individuals in support of refugees, as well as powerful words from refugees themselves. 

It was an incredibly stirring and emotional meeting with very few dry eyes. I am so happy to report that the county commissioners enthusiastically and unanimously agreed to submit the letter of consent, completing the 3 letters that were needed for resettlement to continue in Missoula! Governor Bullock and Mayor Engen submitted their letters earlier this month, with the current national total of States at 28 and Localities at 85 (this includes cities and counties).  

I really can’t convey how incredible the statements were at this meeting.  We heard from volunteers who have been working with families for 2-3 years, an employer with one refugee on staff and an employer who now counts refugees as half of his staff. We heard from other elected officials, from immigration attorneys, and the faith community. And of course, we heard the real stories of struggle, perseverance, and welcome in Missoula like none other from refugees both present and those represented with their written words. I did take a bunch of videos, including a beautiful statement from the county commissioners themselves, but alas… I can’t figure out how to get them to download into any format that I can share here or on Facebook (I can keep working on this but if anyone out there knows how to do this simple thing and wants to show me, that would be amazing! Sheesh!), but do have a couple of the statements in writing, both from SLM board members, that I would like to share with you.

Please take a moment to read this statement from Clem Work, SLM’s President Emeritus and SLM board member and faith leader Pastor Daniel Disch. This second letter is also signed by 13 other faith leaders in our community and both letters will give you an idea of what it felt like to be in that room 2 days ago.

It is hard for me to wrap up this email, because I really don’t feel like I am saying enough or the right words to convey my overwhelming awe and gratitude to Missoula’s residents and elected leaders for the welcome they give refugees.  So a huge thank you to Governor Bullock, Mayor Engen, and the Missoula County Commissioners (give all these folks a call to thank them and to let them know how important this decision was to you!) and of course and always, thank you to YOU for being the back bone to this city’s ability to welcome refugees.

In love and gratitude,

Mary Poole
ED Soft Landing Missoula

PS: Here are a few photos of folks talking.  The videos are a bit more exciting but thought you might like these anyway 😉

This statement was lovingly written by Soft Landing Missoula board member, Pastor Daniel Disch, to demonstrate wide support in the Missoula Faith Community for the continuation of refugee resettlement in Missoula, MT and additionally signed by 13 other leaders from various faith backgrounds. It is a beautiful example of an essential tie that binds us all; the tie of taking care of our fellow (wo)man. Thank you Daniel for your service and commitment to the world’s most vulnerable.

———————————————-

Dear Missoula County Commissioners,

“You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:19)

“Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7)

“Just as a mother loves and protects her only child at the risk of her own life, cultivate boundless love to offer to all living beings in the entire cosmos.” (Metta Sutta)

In the Hebrew scriptures, the instruction to care for the stranger is mentioned 36 times, more than any other commandment, underscoring the gravity of this teaching. The experience of being outsiders sensitizes the Jewish people to the plight of immigrants and refugees of all cultures. Jews are obligated to heed the outcry of the oppressed everywhere and to welcome those who flee from persecution.

The story of the Nativity of Jesus in the gospels, which we celebrate at Christmas, sees the Holy Family traveling to a town from whence their ancestors came. When they arrive, they find no place to stay; no relative, no inn will accept them. No one will welcome them as they are told there is no room. One person, a local businessman in the hospitality industry, recognizes their need and offers them shelter and safety.

Later in the story, when violence erupts, and the infant Jesus is in danger, the Holy Family goes on a long and arduous journey to another land to find a home, led there by God. In these stories, Christians see God’s presence and identification with humanity: with the plight of the displaced and vulnerable, and with the generosity of neighbors, where life is transformed in hope. Welcome is holy.

The Buddha taught that suffering exists, there is a cause of suffering and there is a way to end suffering. The Buddha also recognized that our own suffering is not separate from the suffering of others, nor is the end of our suffering possible without the end of others’ suffering. When we consider the suffering that results from loss of family, home and culture as refugees leave their homes, our hearts open and compassionate action becomes as reflexive as that of a mother caring for her only child. In other words we can’t help but extend our hearts and hands to ease suffering and offer healing.

Religious traditions and faiths around the world, including those in Montana, share love of and concern for the welfare of one’s neighbor as a central tenet. It is often when this seems the hardest – when neighbors are strangers, when relatives disagree, when changes seem threatening, when fears of shortage rise – the voice of divine hospitality calls and challenges us the most. It is our experience that citizens of the Five Valleys hold these values and practices dearly and seriously, especially in the face of need.

As faith leaders, we urge county and municipal leaders in Missoula County to continue to support the work of love and community in receiving refugees. Members and neighbors of faith communities are already giving of their time, money, and gifts to make known the dignity, integrity, and welcome that Montana has to offer. We have already done this together with our Hmong, Belarussian, and Ukrainian friends and relatives; we are doing this now with new Americans from other places, many of whom are fellow members in our own houses of worship, and our neighborhoods.

We commend to fellow residents of Missoula County hospitality for one another across political or ideological differences, respect and genuine regard, and the rich blessings of life together on the land of the Salish on which we reside.

In peace and gratitude,

Rev. Daniel Disch

Atonement Lutheran Church

Rabbi Laurie Franklin

Congregation Har Shalom

Dharmacharya Greg Grallo

Open Way Sanga

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Missoula 

Rev. Laura Folkwein

University Congregational Church

Rev. Chris Flohr

St. Paul Lutheran Church

Rev. John Daniels

First United Methodist Church

Rev. Dr. Jennifer Yocum

University Congregational Church

Rev. Gretchen Strohmaier

Holy Spirit Episcopal

Rev. Barry Padget

United Methodist Church, retired

Rev. Stacey Siebrasse

Missoula Interfaith Collaborative

Rev. Molly Sasser-Goehner

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Rev. Terri Grotzinger

Holy Spirit Episcopal Church

Rev. Dan Dixson

Partners in Home Care Hospice

Rev. John Lund

Emmaus Campus Ministry

This statement was offered as one of many in support of refugees during the County Commissioners meeting on December 18, 2019 upon consideration of sending a letter of consent for refugee resettlement to continue in Missoula. The letter was enthusiastically signed.

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Good morning. My name is Clem Work. I am a resident of Missoula County and I have been a board member of Soft Landing since its inception.

Helping Missoula be a welcoming home for refugees has been a 4-year project of love and compassion, and as long as families fleeing violence or persecution in their home countries continue to make Missoula home, there will be no shortage of loving care and compassionate neighborliness—because Missoula is that kind of place. 

We are gathered here today because of an unconscionable presidential order that potentially injects partisan local politics and tremendous uncertainty into the process of refugee resettlement. But we know that whatever obstacles those of us committed to resettlement face, they pale in comparison to those our new neighbors faced and eventually overcame just to get here. And we are both humbled and inspired by the dedication and perseverance of our new neighbors that they demonstrate every single day. 

• Every day, a Congolese father and husband studies in his spare time for his GED and his citizenship exams, both still a ways off. And every Sunday, he attends the church he helped found in Missoula.

• Every weekday, a Syrian mom packs her toddler and her four-year-old off to daycare, hops the bus to her job, returning in time for the kids and making dinner.

• Every day, an Eritrean girl sacks groceries and also works toward her drivers license.

• Every school day, an Iraqi boy, who is in high school, amazes his teachers with his concentration and dedication. He also has mad soccer skills.

In one sense, what they are doing every day is unremarkable—it’s what many people do. But imagine leaving everything you have, fleeing for your life, living for years in a wretched refugee camp, then trying to fashion a new life in a strange place, and what seems mundane to us is actually an act of hope—sometimes nearly superhuman hope. And the end result is strong threads in our American fabric, making us a more resilient society.

As we all know, this is nothing new in America. For centuries, immigrants have overcome cruelty, hatred and adversity to gain a foothold and to prosper, to learn, to create and to give back. We at Soft Landing and in Missoula are happy to be a part of that American project and we urge you to consent to continued refugee resettlement in Missoula County.

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Thank you always Clem for your service, your guidance, and your beautiful words 😉