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Annual sale at Saint's Place raises money for refugees

Caitlin Whyte
/
WXXI News

The annual super sale at Saint’s Place in Pittsford is raising money for refugees for its 20th year.

For two decades, Saint’s Place has been helping legal refugees build new lives in the Rochester region. All of the goods at the sale were donated by the community, and all the profits go towards buying things refugees may need, like beds, winter clothing, or linens.

Michele Quinn is the Associate Director of Saint’s Place, and talked about how many refuges are coming to the United States from camps.

"They’ve been sitting in camps some of them 10,15,20 years trying to get into the United States, they've been vetted many times and we just want to welcome them once they do get through the whole process and they get here we want them to feel welcome we want them to feel accepted we want them to know they’re safe."

She says they’ve actually seen a significant decrease this year in refugees, almost 75% less, so while they’re still helping some resettle, they’re also helping now with education, like partial scholarships to Monroe Community College or help with textbook costs.

Shaila Zeya has been in Rochester for about five months with her husband and three young children, from Afghanistan. She said they came here for safety and are much happier in Rochester.

The sale runs through this Saturday.