Small Acts, Deep Impact with Leah Cover from Ruth’s Refuge

On July 12th we will welcome our Ally and neighbor from Ruth’s Refuge. Ruth’s Refuge provides the building blocks of a new home for refugees with the collection and distribution of home furnishings. Their work illustrates the ways New Yorkers can volunteer and contribute in specific and concrete ways to support new neighbors as they make their new homes in our city.
Two years ago, we hosted Leah Cover at a Platform to explain what they do to support refugees, asylees, and asylum seekers, all just a few blocks from our new home on 4th Avenue. Since then, we developed a partnership where we host their team for office time and provide a location for drop-off and staging for donations and volunteer activities.
We believe this is what allyship looks like. We give what we can and help a partner’s project to operate more smoothly. Every time we support Ruth’s Refuge, we can see how civic engagement can take very practical steps and how ethical values get embedded in partnership and service.
Join us for a conversation with Leah as we seek to understand more deeply how they provide support and care and how we can learn from the partnership.

Note: this platform discussion will be from 11:00 – 12:00. Afterwards, we will host our own volunteer day to unpack the kitchenware from our old home at 53 Prospect Park West and stock the shelves and pantry in our new kitchen at 265 4th Ave. Members and friends are welcome.

Leah Cover is the founder and Executive Director of Ruth’s Refuge, the only organization in NYC dedicated to furnishing homes for refugees and asylum seekers. Leah has devoted her life to fighting for social justice through coalition building and communal action. Prior to founding Ruth’s Refuge, Leah co-founded and chaired multiple volunteer groups and coalitions advocating for refugees and asylum seekers, including the CBE Refugee Task Force, Brooklyn Synagogue Coalition for Refugees, and the Brownstone Brooklyn Synagogue Refugee Project, facilitating partnerships with refugee resettlement organizations and advocacy groups for asylum seekers throughout the city. Through these partnerships, the need for an organized group working on the frontlines and solely dedicated to providing home goods and furnishings for refugees, asylees, and asylum seekers became clear. Leah founded Ruth’s Refuge in response. Previously, Leah was a senior attorney with Staten Island Legal Services before spending time as a stay-at-home parent to her 2 amazing children.

Join us in person at:
Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture
269 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11215