Concord has opened its arms to the Interfaith Refugee Ministry Replacement Program, and the Franklin Pierce Law Center's Black Law Students Association, in collaboration with the law center's library.
From Nov. 12 to 21, BLSA held a toiletry drive at the school to collect items ranging from toothbrushes to soap to help stock the living quarters of refugees now living in the Concord area.
“I was pleasantly surprised with how much we collected,” said Allison Hobbs, vice-president of BLSA. More than 300 toiletries and towels were donated, but not without the enthusiastic help from the library.
Kathy Fletcher, reference and public services librarian at the law center, responded to students' inquiries to give back to the local community by jumping on board with BLSA to help collect the items.
“My public library did a 'Food for Fines' program, and I thought it was a very cool thing,” Fletcher said. So Fletcher took the same concept and made it her own as she scrapped overdue book fines for the gift of toiletries.
This is the second year for the library to join in.
“The students were grateful to do the right thing and a good thing at the same time,” Fletcher said. “The school has a commitment to the community and building the community; this is one thing that does that.”
Hobbs had a personal experience with refugees, and this project inspires her. In 2003, while living in the Dominican Republic, she visited Haitian refugees who were living in work camps. According to Hobbs, the workers were undocumented and often subjected to racism and violence. “Hearing about such poverty is bad enough, but it touches you so much more after experiencing it first hand,” Hobbs said. “Many of the refugees in Concord are coming from similar or worse conditions in their countries.”
Hobbs relayed the thanks of the Interfaith Refugee Ministry Replacement Program for BLSA and the Pierce Law community's help in smoothing the refugees' transition to life in America.
For more information about the Franklin Pierce Law Center, visit piercelaw.edu.
