By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
Moapa Valley residents donated clothing, bedding, dishes, bikes, and other household items, enough to fill a large trailer, to Lighthouse Charities in an effort to improve the lives of refugees in the Las Vegas area.
Lighthouse Charities is a non-profit organization based in Las Vegas that serves refugees and low-income families as they strive to regain self-reliance in a new country. The group helps refugees begin life anew by temporarily helping to provide them with the necessities of life they need to set them off on the path to success in the U.S.
The clothing and supply drive was organized by the local Helping A Neighbor through Devoted Service (HANDS) organization. The group held an informational meeting before the drive to let members of the community know more about the organization.
Lighthouse Charities founder, Cindy Trussell, spoke at the meeting and described the purpose and mission of the charity so that community members would have a better understanding of the situation and the people they were striving to help.
“Millions are displaced from their homelands every year,” Trussell said. “They have no choice but to leave everything they once knew behind and begin a new life somewhere safer.”
She spoke on the plight of refugees and how they arrive in Las Vegas with the desire to succeed, but often without the tools they need to be successful. “We set them up in apartments, but they do not even have the basics they need to succeed such as an alarm clock to help them wake up while they are battling time zone differences to help them get to appointments or work on time.”
The H.A.N.D.S group placed a 20-foot trailer at Logandale Fire Station #73 during the week of fair as a dropoff site for anyone who wished to donate. Generous donations filled the trailer nearly ¾ full in the few days it was available. The trailer was then taken to Vegas last week where all its contents were donated to the charity for distribution.
Local resident Jamie Burt pulled the trailer into Vegas and described the reaction when she got there. “It was great,” she said. “They were very surprised because it was far more than they had expected. The lady helping unload just kept laughing as she envisioned the faces of the volunteers who would be coming in the next day to put all the donations away. They were all very excited and very appreciative.”
Burt said that valley residents had been able to donate a variety of items. In addition to clothing and bedding, there were also bikes, chairs, ironing boards, crutches, hand soap, dish soap, shampoo, and many other items.
Trussell was very grateful for all the local donations. “The donations were amazing and we’re very grateful for what we received,” she said.
Trussell added that even though the items from the valley are much appreciated, more items are always needed. “These families start in apartments that are completely empty.” she said. “They need everything from dishes and a vacuum cleaner, to trash cans, shower curtains, and alarm clocks.”
Future donations may be taken to Lighthouse Charities warehouse located at 3435 W Cheyenne Ave. #103. The charity takes donations on M-W-F from 9 am to noon. But drop offs can be arranged anytime by calling 702-275-0197.
A current list of needs can be found on the group’s website at lighthousecharities.net.
