Harvest volunteer

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About Iskashitaa Refugee Network

Location:

3736 E. 2nd St, Tucson, AZ 85716, US

Mission Statement

Iskashitaa Refugee Network creates opportunities to integrate UN refugees into the Southern Arizona community while educating the public, strengthening the local food system, reducing local food waste, and increasing food security.

Description

Iskashitaa Refugee Network is an intergenerational network of Tucson volunteers and UN refugees from Asian, African, and Middle Eastern countries, who locate, harvest, and redistribute locally grown fruits and vegetables which would otherwise go to waste. IRN staff/volunteers create opportunities to empower recently arrived refugees by connecting them with a wide variety of resources to interact with the community. While gleaning remains an integral part of our work, we have expanded to offering a wide variety of programs, such as our Refugee Garden Art Program and Food Preservation Workshops. Refugees from the 37 different ethnic groups that IRN has worked with throughout its 21 year history, learn the geography of Tucson, gain valuable life skills, improve their English, develop a US work history and access to healthy foods and food preservation techniques.