<article> <h2>Our Gift To You</h2> <p>We are so grateful for each and every one of you. In a year that has included many dark times, you have been a light - to Hello Neighbor, to one another and to refugee and immigrant families. As a show of our appreciation, we’d like to gift you our <strong>downloadable Hello Neighbor coloring book</strong>, filled with fun pictures and warm words of welcome to be enjoyed by the whole family. <br></p> <p><a class="button extra-border" href="/assets/hn-coloring-pages.pdf">REDEEM YOUR GIFT</a></p> <hr> <h1>It’s been a tough year… but our community is tougher.</h1> <p><br> 2020 has not been a year for the faint of heart. We’ve seen the devastation that this global pandemic has caused around the world and throughout the communities we serve. <strong>We’ve also seen the beauty of neighbors helping neighbors in times when it mattered most, and that gives us great hope and joy.</strong></p> <p>As parents lost work, children struggled to navigate virtual learning, and families faced food insecurity and scarcity of resources, <strong>our community rallied</strong> to deliver meals, distribute essential items and emergency cash assistance, fill out unemployment and rent assistance forms, make homemade masks for refugee essential workers, and call families to check in and offer a listening ear.</p> <p>Families in our mentorship program grew in friendship - despite the distance - through cooking lessons over FaceTime, distanced backyard dinners, homework help, and virtual birthday celebrations. <strong>Together we grew as a community of neighbors navigating this uncharted territory.</strong></p> <iframe width="100%" style="aspect-ratio: 16 / 9" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F4PdLVGtK2g?start=1" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="></iframe> <h2>Because of YOU</h2> <p>This year, we were able to accomplish so much good in the face of such adversity, and we have only you - your mentors, supporters, volunteers, champions and friends - to thank.</p> <p>In 2020 we launched <strong>2 new program</strong>s: <a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/family-services/study-buddy-program">Study Buddy</a> and <a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/direct-services/covid-19-direct-response">COVID-19 Direct Response</a>, both designed to meet the growing needs of our families who’ve been deeply impacted by the current health crisis. Through these programs we’ve offered <strong>30 hours per week</strong> of virtual learning assistance to <strong>15 refugee students</strong>, and are currently onboarding new students and tutors for the coming semester. As part of our direct response we hosted <strong>4 major distributions</strong> to provide essential items to families experiencing critical need, supplying <strong>467 refugees and immigrants</strong> with shelf stable food boxes, feminine hygiene and personal care products, school supplies, mom and baby essentials, and so much more.</p> <p>Together, we <strong>raised $75,000</strong> for the refugee assistance fund and distributed <strong>300 direct cash assistance checks</strong> to refugee and immigrant families in need. We <strong>welcomed 6 new babies</strong> from our refugee families in 2020 and <strong>provided 32 meal trains</strong> and essential supply deliveries to new moms and their little ones with the help of dedicated volunteers.</p> <p>I hope you know that you are just as much a part of our work as every single one of our team members. <strong>Our impact is only as strong as our community</strong>, and if we’ve learned anything this year it is that together, we rise.</p> <h2>Our Favorite Events From 2020</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/83LROtqhCQQ?t=1">Home Sweet Home 2020</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/october-distribution">October Distribution</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/events/supporting-refugees-in-a-challenging-national-climate">Supporting Refugees in a Challenging National Climate</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CEaJWLRjI3b/">Back-To-School Distribution</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/mom-baby-essentials-distribution-event">Mom and Baby Essentials Distribution</a></li> <li><a href="https://vimeo.com/423842045">Hello Neighbor Community Town Hall</a></li> <li><a href="https://vimeo.com/helloneighbor/distribution-day">Refugee Assistance Fund Distribution Day</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=helloneighborhq&amp;set=a.851199682063410">Cohort 5 Kick Off at the Aviary</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=helloneighborhq&amp;set=a.818424865340892">Cohort 5 Mentee Orientation</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=helloneighborhq&amp;set=a.830347377481974">Cohort 5 Mentor Orientation</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Other big celebrations:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/congratulations-to-hello-neighbor-graduating-seniors">Congratulations to our graduating seniors!</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/hello-neighbor-wins-2020-renewal-award">Hello Neighbor receives $40,000 grant from The Atlantic and Allstate</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/hello-neighbor-chosen-as-red-backpack-fund-recipient">Hello Neighbor Chosen as Red Backpack Fund Recipient</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/new-study-buddy-program-launch">Hello Neighbor Launches New Study Buddy Program</a> <br></li> </ul> <h2>Together, We Rise</h2> <p>Thanks to the support of our amazing community, along with a generous $10,000 match from a local family foundation, <strong>we’ve raised over $25,000 since the start of December</strong> to help refugee families rise above the challenges of COVID-19 through our <a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/together-we-rise">Together, We Rise campaign</a>.</p> <p>If you haven’t had a chance to contribute and would like to partner with us in our year-end campaign, you can still do so here. We will be <a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/together-we-rise">continuing to raise funds</a> to support our COVID-19 response initiatives through the end of 2020. <br></p> <hr> <p><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/634ae6816088707d372246f0/637959d1359e1d135d84d461_happy-holidays-(1).png" alt="“happy" holidays”></p>