Volunteer to help sort-and-pack items for Syrian refugees

MCCPS, Rotary Club of Marblehead Harbor, SPUR and S.U.R.E. are working together to collect needed items for Syrian Refugees through February.

Volunteer sign-up opportunities posted on-line at www.spur.community

Marblehead Community Charter Public School (MCCPS), the Rotary Club of Marblehead Harbor, SPUR, and Swampscott Unites, Respects, Embraces diversity (S.U.R.E.) are working together to collect needed items for Syrian refugees during the month of February.

The groups have set a goal to fill a 40-foot shipping container before February 27 with about 800 boxes of needed items and supplies to be sent via NuDay Syria to Turkey and Syria.

SPUR has posted volunteer opportunities to pack-and-sort the donated items on its website at www.spur.community. The sign-up possibilities can be accessed from SPUR’s homepage by clicking on “Volunteer” and then clicking on “Volunteer Opportunities” leading to the Sign-Up-Genius page.

"We hope to have the majority of items collected by February 21 so that we can have a productive day of sorting and packing in honor of World Thinking Day on February 22,” Jocelyn Cook, executive director of SPUR, said.

A 100 percent volunteer led charitable organization, SPUR was established to inspire good deeds, provide opportunities for youth to learn and organize meaningful volunteer experiences for individuals, families and youth of all ages. Their activities strive to make a tangible difference in the lives of both the recipients and the volunteers while giving back to the Marblehead, Salem and Swampscott communities. SPUR's role in this project partnership includes overseeing the sorting and packing of the donated items.

An additional way to support the February donation drive is to make a reservation and dine on Tues., February 21, between 5 and 9 p.m. at The Landing Restaurant in Marblehead. SPUR will be the recipient of a benefit night in which 20 percent of total sales from food and beverages will be donated to SPUR. “SPUR voted to donate the total amount received to NuDay Syria to help offset the cost of shipping,” Cook said.

Although not a drop-off location because the school cannot accommodate the intake of the donations, MCCPS is providing the space in which all the sorting and packing activities will be conducted.

S.U.R.E. is also providing volunteer support. S.U.R.E. is a volunteer community group aimed at celebrating all aspects of human diversity. S.U.R.E. aspires to raise community awareness and acceptance through fun and educational events.

Donation drop-off locations in Marblehead are The Council on Aging, 10 Humphrey St.; National Grand Bank, 91 Pleasant St.; St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 135 Lafayette St.; Lynch-van Otterloo YMCA, 40 Leggs Hill Road, and the residential porch at 5 Trager Road.

Drop off locations in Swampscott are Atlantic Hearing Care, Suite 1G, 990 Paradise Road; Eastern Bank, 405 Paradise Road, and First Church Congregational, 40 Monument Ave. The church will be open to receive donations from 10 a.m. to noon on weekdays.

The drop-off location in Salem is Right at Home Senior Care, 3rd Floor at 19 Front St.

Drop-off locations in Beverly are Glen Urquhart School, 74 Hart St., and Marblehead Bank at Cummings Center.

Needed items include new and gently used clothing and coats, all genders and sizes; new underwear and socks.

Needed personal care items are sanitary pads, diapers, deodorant, bar soap, powdered detergent, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes and floss.

Household items are sleeping bags and blankets.

Toys include soccer balls, stuffed animals and non-battery operated toys.

School supplies are crayons, pencils, spiral notebooks, and coloring books.

Medical equipment includes unopened packages of Band-Aids, gauze, antibiotic ointment, and alcohol.

There is also a need for crutches, walkers and wheel chairs. These items should be delivered to First Church Swampscott, weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

For questions about donations, please contact Rosaleen Doherty, chairwoman of the Rotary Club of Marblehead Harbor’s service committee, at Right at Home Senior Care at 978-234-0672 or Right at Home Senior Care at 978-744-5151.

For more information about NuDay Syria, visit nudaysyria.net or the organization’s Facebook page. NuDay Syria is a 501(c) aid organization that grew out of local New England efforts to help alleviate the suffering and displacement in Syria. NuDay Syria regularly sends supplies through an established transportation network to refugee camps in Turkey and Syria.

For updates and more information about the February Collection for NuDay Syria, visit The Rotary Club of Marblehead Harbor’s website at www.rcomh.org or the club’s Facebook page, SPUR’s website at www.spur.community or its Facebook page, or S.U.R.E.’s Facebook page.