SASKATOON – A day after the Government of Canada unveiled its Syrian refugee strategy, immigration organizations in Saskatoon still had some planning to do. The Saskatoon Open Door Society has received so many donations of clothing and household items that they’re asking people to hold onto things for now.
“It’s pretty bad. We are desperately looking for storage space. I have over 200 names on a list right now of people who wish to donate to us, but we have nowhere to put things,” said Julie Fleming Juarez, community connections team leader with the Saskatoon Open Door Society.
The organization has asked anyone with room in a church hall, classroom or office to donate it.
READ MORE: Saskatoon a ‘destination city’ in refugee plan
“We would like it to be an area where we can set up tables and sort through donations, just to make it easier on people when they actually come to pick things up,” Fleming Juarez said.
Groups that focus on private sponsorship, like the Mennonite Central Committee are handling an influx of requests from groups of people hoping to sponsor Syrian refugees.
“I think it started in September with the picture of Alan Kurdi and it stirred something in people and from that point, there was just a groundswell of interest,” said Dana Krushel, refugee assistance coordinator with the Mennonite Central Committee in Saskatoon.
Even government was still in the planning stage Wednesday, with Saskatchewan’s premier offering a “rough” proposal to receive 800 to 850 Syrian refugees across the province.
“That’s what we’re planning for. It could possibly be more. It depends what the federal government comes back with,” Premier Brad Wall said.
The Government of Canada hasn’t released the exact number of refugees destined for Saskatchewan or Saskatoon.
Prince Albert, Moose Jaw and Regina are included in the 36 destination cities for Syrian refugees, as part of the federal government’s six-year, $678-million resettlement plan.
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