<article> <h1>Share The Love With Refugee Families</h1> <p><br> This time of year, our refugee mothers would be busy baking away in their kitchens, preparing baklava and other delicious cultural desserts to share with our community through the Valentine’s Day New Neighbor Cookie Table.</p> <p>Due to safety precautions in the midst of this current health crisis, we are not able to provide this opportunity to you or to our refugee mothers this year.</p> <p>Historically, the New Neighbor Cookie table has provided a supplemental income to <strong>more than 15 refugee mothers</strong>, bringing in an <strong>average income of $1,300 per baker</strong>.</p> <p>With our food programming on pause, our mothers are losing out on a significant source of income for their families.</p> <p>This Valentine’s Day, we invite you to share the love with our refugee mothers by making a donation to the Refugee Assistance Fund. <strong>100% of donations made to this fund will go directly to refugee and immigrant families in need.</strong></p> <p><em><strong>BONUS:</strong> You can make your donation in honor of a loved one this Valentine’s Day by clicking “Give in honor or in memory” at check out. When you do that, we will send your loved one a special <strong>Valentine’s Day e-card</strong> letting them know that you gave a gift on their behalf!</em></p> <hr> <h2>Support Refugee Mothers This Valentine’s Day</h2> <p><br> <img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/634ae6816088707d372246f0/63794cc4523c2904281c146f_yasmeen-s-story.png" alt="“yasmeen1”"></p> <p>Yasmeen was born in Aleppo, Syria into a family with eight brothers and sisters. She has been married to her husband Alaa for nine years and together they have four beautiful children. Their youngest was born in 2019 and is the first American citizen in their family.</p> <p>After being forced to leave their home in Syria, Yasmeen and her family fled to Turkey where they lived in a refugee camp before being resettled in Pittsburgh in 2017.</p> <p><em>“I was excited to join Hello Neighbor to learn about American culture and make friends. Our mentors mean so much to us and have become like a second family.”</em></p> <p>Yasmeen is one of the bakers involved in our Food Social Enterprise program and would typically be busy making Baklava for our Valentine’s Day New Neighbor Cookie Table as a way to share her culture with you and to support her family through supplemental income.</p> <p>While we can’t share Yasmeen’s Baklava with you in the time of COVID-19, you can still share the love and support of families like Yasmeen’s this Valentine’s Day by donating to our Valentine’s Day campaign. All proceeds will support the Refugee Assistance Fund, where 100% of donations go directly to families in need.</p> <p><strong>Make a donation in honor of a loved one and we will send them a Valentine’s Day e-card letting them know that you gave a special gift on their behalf!</strong></p> <hr> <p><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/634ae6816088707d372246f0/63794cc4d600315391af5267_taroob-s-story.png" alt="“taroob1”"></p> <p>Taroob was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq. Due to conflict, she and her husband were forced from their home and were resettled in Pittsburgh in 2015 where Taroob gave birth to their son, Ased. The rest of Taroob’s family remains in Baghdad, and while her mother and nine siblings have all applied for refugee status, none have been accepted. They had been waiting for nearly 10 years.</p> <p>In 2019 Taroob and her son joined Hello Neighbors mentorship program and were matched with their mentor Melanie. The two families quickly became one, spending time exploring the city of Pittsburgh together, cooking meals, practicing English, learning to drive and sharing many laughs.</p> <p><em>“I love the idea of Hello Neighbor,”</em> Taroob said. <em>“It’s really nice and it helps me and the other women a lot. It helps you advance a little bit more with the language and social skills.”</em></p> <p>Soon after joining the mentorship program, Taroob became a baker in Hello Neighbor’s New Neighbor Cookie Table program, allowing her to make a supplemental income to support her son and do work that she loves.</p> <p><em>“I love my life here in Pittsburgh, and I really want to succeed. I really hope that Ased has a wonderful future—maybe becomes the president of the United States.”</em></p> <hr> <h2>Give one gift with twice the impact this Valentine’s Day</h2> <p>When you donate to Hello Neighbor, you are providing refugee mothers with the support they need to provide for their families. Donate in honor of a loved one and we’ll send them a <strong>special Valentine’s Day e-card</strong> letting them know you gave a special gift on their behalf! <br> <br></p> <a href="#XMRTDCKC" style="display: none"></a></article>