June 20, 2023

Celebrate World Refugee Day with our Community!

Celebrate World Refugee Day with our Community!

Join RISSE and community partners on June 20th for World Refugee Day!


Donations will  be collected as followed

High Priority Needs:

  • Clothing: (Mostly mens clothing, all sizes)
  • Shirts
  • Pants/shorts
  • Socks
  • Underwear (must be brand new and in unopened packages)
  • Bras (ideally brand new, but cannot be stretched out, distorted, or with wires poking through)
  • Shoes (new or minimal wear only)
  • Hats

Hygiene/Personal Care: (New, unopened items only)

  • Shampoo/Conditioner
  • Soap
  • Lotion
  • Sunscreen
  • Nail clippers
  • Deodorant
  • Condoms
  • Toothbrush/Toothpaste
  • Floss
  • Chapstick
  • Multivitamins
  • Tylenol/Advil 
  • Hairbrush
  • Sunglasses
  • Menstrual products

Other Important Items:

  • Backpacks
  • Folders for documents/paperwork
  • Pens
  • Cell phones (for wifi access)
  • Reusable water bottles 
  • Packaged snacks - must be ready-to-eat (no cooking req.)
  • Electrolytes


Donation Drop-Off Locations:

  • RISSE: 240 West Lawrence Street, Albany – Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm – 518-621-1041
  • TAUM: 392 2nd St., Troy – Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm – 518-274-5920 (Toiletries only)
  • Presbyterian-UCC: 24 Circular St., Saratoga – Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm – 518-584-6091


To donate items not listed above, or to donate funds or volunteer time to our welcome effort, please visit: https://www.sanctuarycolumbiacounty.org/asylum


Thank you for your support and generosity!

Donation Guidelines:

  • ALL Clothing items MUST be CLEAN and in WORKING CONDITION. 
    • Ask: Would you like to be given the item you are donating in the condition you are donating it?
  •  We will not accept:
    • Clothing or accessories with rips or stains.
    • Items that are dirty or have a strong scent or an unpleasant smell (e.g., mothballs, cigarettes, sweat, storage).
    • Items with pet hair stuck on them
    • USED or UNPACKAGED personal items i.e. undergarments, socks, bras
    • Furniture 
  • We are very grateful for donations that are clean and in good repair. The following guidelines may be helpful in determining whether we can accept your donation.
    • Find items in good condition that you'd like to have a new life. No holes, stains, or items you wouldn’t wear yourself.
    • Wash, sort, and fold your donations.
    • Put them in paper bags or reusable bags/containers that we can keep.
    • Check that the donation is in working condition (e.g., the radio comes with a power cord and turns on and off)

We invite you to a documentary film screening of:

Utica: The Last Refuge

Follow a refugee family’s challenges and successes resettling in an Upstate NY city as well as the positive transformation refugees and immigrants have had on that city’s economic resurgence.

Come for the film or stop by for a reception to learn about RISSE, our partner agencies, and our collective work welcoming refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers to the Capital Region.

Where: Opalka Gallery, The Sage Colleges, 140 New Scotland Avenue, Albany

When: Film showings at 3:00pm and 6:00pm, Reception from 5:00pm-9:00pm