An Ethiopian asylum seeker displays his tattoo with the words “God Help Me” at the Um Rakuba refugee camp in Sudan Dec.3, 2020, which houses Ethiopians fleeing the fighting in the Tigray region of the east African nation. (CNS | Baz Ratner, Reuters)CHARLOTTE — Refugees who have resettled in the Charlotte area with the help of Catholic Charities will receive new shoes June 22 during an event to mark World Refugee Day.
Established by the United Nations, World Refugee Day honors refugees around the globe. It falls each year on June 20 and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.
Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement Program is hosting the shoe distribution event in partnership with Samaritan’s Feet, Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency and eMite to provide new footwear for refugees who have been recently resettled into the Charlotte area.
Participants will receive a Samaritan’s Feet “Hope Tote” – a bag containing a new pair of shoes, socks, hygiene kit, and an encouraging “Hope Note” and flyer with activities to show kindness and best practices to stay healthy.
Students from Christ the King High School in Huntersville created a banner for Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement Office to use for the shoe distribution June 22. The banner reads: “Many Nations…One Community.”
Laura Jones, supervisor of Catholic Charities’ program for refugee youth and one of the organizers of the June 22 event, says the banner notes “all the nationalities of our refugees, then we’ll add the handprints of our young students (in Catholic Charities’ Refugee Youth Program).”
Samaritan’s Feet serves and inspires hope in children by providing shoes as the foundation to a healthy, spiritual life – setting them up for success in education and economic opportunities. Since its founding in 2003, Samaritan’s Feet and its partners have distributed over 8 million pairs of shoes in 108 countries and 440 U.S. cities.
Catholic Charities estimates that 300 “Hope Totes” and pairs of shoes will be distributed at the June 22 event and in the following days for those who could not attend the event.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Did you know?
World Refugee Day was held globally for the first time on June 20, 2001, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. It was originally known as Africa Refugee Day, before the United Nations General Assembly officially designated it as an international day in December 2000. For more information about World Refugee Day, go online to www.unhcr.org/en-us/world-refugee-day.