The Moose Jaw Multicultural Council is looking for household furniture and items for new families with young children in Moose Jaw. 

"Currently we're looking for furniture and household items for several new families that we've helped to resettle in the community," said Tyler Bastedo, community connections coordinator. "Things like couches, chairs, dressers, the big items that can be a large expense for someone who's moving into a new home just to make their transition a bit more smooth, because most of these families come with little to no possessions when they arrive in the country."

Bastedo said that over the past month or so, Moose Jaw has welcomed seven refugee families, most of them with small children. 

The Council doesn't have much space in their office for storage, so if someone has a large item to donate, it's best if they call ahead to the office to arrange for someone to pick it up, or get a location to drop it off directly to the family. 

Bastedo said that smaller items, such as kitchenware, can usually be brought right to the office. 

As winter approaches, Bastedo said that the Moose Jaw Newcomer Welcome Centre will also be providing new families with some of the knowledge they'll need to navigate the likely strange winter weather they'll encounter soon enough. 

"They've already received a large amount of winter clothing for the event. The community has been very generous with its winter clothing donations as of now, so we're not currently looking for those. They'll be doing a winter safety orientation along with a winter clothing giveaway." 

The orientation will go over some of the ways to get prepared to avoid frostbite, staying warm, and general safety when temperatures reach extreme limits. 

If you have an item to donate, please call the Multicultural Council at 693-4677 or email community.connections@mjmcinc.ca.