2020 Hiatus (but you can still give!)

It is with heavy hearts that we announce we are taking a hiatus on roll-making this season. The challenges presented by Covid-19, as well as unrelated issues in our personal lives have made it impossible to make Rolls for Refugees a reality this year.  We are saddened by this, but not defeated.  We plan to be back next year in full force.  You have partnered with us these past 5 years and we are grateful. Because of you we have raised nearly $12,000 for families just like you and me, living with the ravages of war in Syria and Iraq.  Thank You.

If you would like to continue to support causes for refugees, you can contribute directly to PreEmptive Love Coalition here or through other links on this page. 

We wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Sheryl & Brittany

The 2019 holiday season has arrived - It's Time to Order!

This year, along with our friends and faith communities, we'll be baking cinnamon rolls again to raise money and awareness for displaced families in Syria and Iraq.  Rolls for Refugees is a labor of love run by volunteers with no paid staff.  We donate time and ingredients (everything except the packaging) so as much money as possible is given to those who need it most.  The proceeds are donated to PreEmptive Love Coalition and Mennonite Central Committee, two organizations doing lifesaving work in the region. 

Sorry, local pick up only. If you would like to contribute but do not live locally, you may do so here: Donate or check out the links on the right of this page.

To order, click "Place an Order" tab above. On the new page click the blue "CLICK HERE" which will link you to the secure order page. On the order page, click the golden "Add to Cart" and see the pick up instructions. We are aware this is a bit cumbersome and are working to improve it. Thanks for your patience!


As always we are so grateful for you, for your generosity and for your partnership with us on this journey. We wish you peace this holiday season.

With Gratitude

Happy New Year!

Thank you to each of you who supported Rolls for Refugees this past 2018 Christmas season! We have been awed by your love, generosity and partnership with us to help those who are waging peace in Syria.

This labor of love we call Rolls for Refugees simply would not be possible without volunteers. So we send a very special thanks to our expert team of bakers this year, who showed up to bake more than 880 cinnamon rolls; over 220 pans!!!  Since we pay for ingredients, nearly every dollar raised is donated to two agencies who work directly with those displaced by war in Syria and Iraq.

This year’s cinnamon roll sales raised:

* $1,267   for Mennonite Central Committee (Syria)

* $1,378   for PreEmptive Love Coalition (Syria/Iraq)

Since 2015, $9,298.00 has been donated to the above organizations, who work courageously, often in active war zones, to provide food, shelter, safety & medical care in Syria and Iraq. Please keep them in your prayers.

Gratefully,

Sheryl & Brittany

                    

Wherever you are, we wish you the gift of Christmas, which is love.

Message from MCC Executive Director, Ron Byler

"This war in Syria is not only affecting the present generation, but the next generation as well."

What's next for Syria?

The following article from the PreEmptive Love blog discusses the current situation in Syria, 2018.  PreEmptive Love Coalition works courageously to supply food and medical care to refugees and displaced families in Syria and Iraq.  Read below to find out more about the current situation there.

Syria’s ‘Cradle of Rebellion’ Has Surrendered. Now What?

The city where Syria’s civil war began is back under government control, more than seven years after popular protests turned into a full-scale uprising.

Syrian government forces hoisted the national flag over Daraa, 60 miles south of Damascus, after weeks of fighting. Hundreds of civilians are believed to have died.

There are conflicting reports on how many are displaced here. Thousands are massed on the edge of the Jordanian border and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

We have not been able to access Daraa yet in order to evaluate the need. But we will continue to press in, ready to show up for those caught on the frontlines.

What does this mean for Syria?

The world has mostly ignored Daraa, despite its symbolic importance.

This is where the Syrian uprising began. In March 2011, protesters took to the streets, calling for Syria’s president to step aside and demanding an end to a state of emergency that was in place for almost 50 years.

Government forces moved swiftly to put down the protests, and before long, all of Syria was engulfed in full-scale civil war.

A Damascus suburb after years of war. Photo by Matt Willingham / Preemptive Love Coalition.

The recapture of Daraa is a huge symbolic and strategic victory for the Syrian government. It means the “cradle of rebellion” is back under state control. The last major opposition-held territory is now Idlib, hundreds of miles to the north.

Victory on the part of Syria’s Russian-backed government is all but assured, though it’s anyone’s guess how much longer war will drag on.

So now what?

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE...

Her smile says it all: THANK YOU!

Photo by PreEmptive Love

THANKS to the generous support of family and friends who showed up to roll out cinnamon rolls in the dead of winter.  THANKS also to our AWESOME faith communities, Grace Chapel of Wilsonville, Oregon and Zion Mennonite Church of the tiny hamlet of Hubbard. THANKS to you all, we raised $3500.26 for refugees and internally displaced persons in Syria and Iraq.  Relief Kits were also collected, to be distributed by Mennonite Central Committee.  We are so grateful.  100% of your donation went to PreEmptive Love Coalition and Mennonite Central Committee.  A special THANK YOU to our neighbors who cleaned out their freezers to make room for yet MORE cinnamon rolls, and to Grace Chapel, who not only ordered more than 750 cinnamon rolls, but then generously donated the ingredients to make them! All of you wonderful folks who helped roll, bake and purchase approximately 1500 cinnamon rolls in December 2017, THANK YOU for supporting this effort and making a difference in the lives of these precious families!  Her smile says it all!

Please Remember the People of Syria & Iraq

Jeremy Courtney, PreEmptive Love Coaltion, Nov 20, 2017

Looking for a hands-on way to make a difference this Christmas?

   Contents of an MCC Relief Kit

Looking for a hands-on project that makes a difference?  This year due to high demand, there is an urgent need for Relief Kits in Syria, Iraq and other crisis areas. (See https://mcc.org/get-involved/kits)  The kits are a tangible way you can share God’s love and compassion, reminding people that their needs are not forgotten. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) plans shipments carefully in order to meet local needs and to send high-quality items that can withstand the harsh conditions faced by people receiving the supplies.

Place articles in a box or bag and deliver to one of the following locations. It's a good idea to call ahead to confirm someone will be available to receive them.

     Grace Chapel, 9600 SW Boeckman Rd, Wilsonville, OR  97070, (503) 570-2988

     Zion Mennonite Church, 6124 S Whiskey Hill Rd, Hubbard, OR  97032, (503) 651-2274

     Portland Mennonite Church, 1312 SE 35th Ave, Portland, OR  97214, (503) 234-0559

Kits will be shipped to MCC headquarters in January, where they will be packed in new 5-gallon plastic pails with lids and distributed to recipients overseas.

                                                    Relief Kit Items

                                         (New items in original packaging)

• 4 large bars bath soap 
• 1 plastic bottle shampoo (13–24 oz; place in re-sealable plastic bag)
• 4 large bars laundry soap (Fels Naptha®, Sunlight® or Zote® brands)
• 4 adult-size toothbrushes 
• 4 new bath towels (medium weight, dark or bright colors)
• 2 wide-tooth combs (6–8 in)
• 1 fingernail clipper(good quality)
• 1 box adhesive bandages(minimum 40 count, assorted)
• 1 package sanitary pads (18–24 count thin maxi)

Thank you for limiting your generosity to the items listed. Due to strict regulations on the expiration dates of toothpaste in various countries, MCC no longer asks for toothpaste donations with the kits. Instead, MCC will provide toothpaste when kits arrive at the warehouse and before distribution. Toothbrushes must be in their original packaging.

                                                     Watch the journey from your hands to theirs:

THANK YOU

Photo: PreEmptive Love

As we reflect on 2016, we are so thankful for each of you who have come along side and partnered with us to reach out to Syrian and Iraqi families in need. With your generous support we were able to donate $1,774.00 this year. We can only provide dollars, but special thanks and our prayers go with those on the ground there doing the grueling and heartbreaking work everyday: To PreEmptive Love Coalition, MCC and Refuge Initiative, the three charities we sponsored in 2015 and 2016, Godspeed. 

To our loving families and special friends who braved a snow storm to help us make over 150 pans of cinnamon rolls, thank you! We donated time and materials, so 100% of your donation went directly to the worthy nonprofits mentioned above - which means as much of your money as possible, provided food, warmth and a message of hope: that these who need our help, are not alone.

Wishing you Peace in the coming year,

Brittany and Sheryl

Thank You from Mennonite Central Committee

.

Voices from Syria and Iraq: "Love - the most important thing..."

"When You Remember Us, We Feel Like We Are Still Alive"

"When You Remember Us, We Feel Like We Are Still Alive"

- Syrian Bishop to the Global Church

See the work of Mennonite Central Committee, waging peace in Syria

Christmas 2016 - Love Showed Up in a Humble Stable

PreEmptive Love waging peace, Christmas, 2016

For more stories of love in action see their blog:  http://www.preemptivelove.org/blog 

The Deadline For Ordering 2016 is Past, But ...

Though the deadline is past, you can still reach out to bring hope to a dusty plain somewhere in Syria or Iraq.  What can you do? Go to "Get Involved" on top of this page for a list of ideas that will make a tangible difference in the life of a desperate family whose home and community have been destroyed. You will also find links to credible organizations working on the ground in the region, offering food, shelter and love to a displaced people.

                     When you have 5 minutes, take time to watch the Refuge Initiative at work.

Today is the Deadline, 2016

Today is the deadline for ordering Cinnamon Rolls through the website this year.

Wishing you peace this Christmas.  

Thanks to all of you for partnering with us to give what hope and tangible aid we can, 

to desperate families just like yours and ours.  Here is one example, happening right now:

Because of your generous support, the work of PreEmptive Love Coalition has just begun 

providing daily emergency food rations for 25,000 people in the Aleppo countryside, 

a few miles outside the city.  PreEmptive Love Coalition currently has funding to provide 

food for fleeing families through Christmas Day, 2016.  

We were featured!

World Orphans wrote up an article about Rolls for Refugees on their blog. We are so honored they would take the time to hear about our project. You can read the article HERE.

World Orphans is the organization behind The Refuge Initiative and takes a wholistic approach to caring for orphans all around the world.

Thank you, Tacy, for interviewing us!

Happy 2016!

Happy New Year!

Thanks to your generous support for Rolls for Refugees, we raised $1,400 in 2015 for three charities working directly with refugees and IDP's (Internally Displaced Persons) in Syria, Iraq and the region.  

We donated time and materials, so 100% of your donation went to MCC ($450); The Refuge Initiative ($450) and PreEmptive Love Coalition ($500).  Because you purchased rolls this Christmas season, 6 Syrian families will have a roof over their heads this winter, OR 23 Iraqi families will have food for a month, OR 47 other desperate families will have blankets to keep them warm.  

Thank you for your cheerful and giving hearts!  Please keep these brothers and sisters in your prayers.

THANK YOU!!

WOW! We are blown away by your response! Our mixers have been working overtime and we've exceeded our $1,000 goal!

With 120 pans of Cinnamon Rolls delivered and $1,200 in donations, we will be able to give $400 to each The Mennonite Central Committee, The Refuge Initiative and PreEmptive Love Coalition.

Our online shop is now closed and we are no longer taking orders. However, we will continue to add opportunities of how you can get involved and current information here, so check back often!

We thank you for making this possible and supporting our project! Because of your generosity, displaced families just like yours and ours will have food or receive care they would not have received otherwise.

With Gratitude,
Sheryl & Brittany

Thanks Everyone ~ Your response has been an encouragement to us! Our ovens have been working overtime, our homes smell heavenly and cinnamon rolls are rolling out the door.

The website has been updated with more links and information, with more to come. Peruse the "Learn More" and "Get Involved" tabs to see what's new.

Off to the kitchen!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to Rolls for Refugees! This is a space to learn about the worst refugee crisis the world has seen since World War II and how you can help. Families, just like ours, are being driven from their homes with little time to plan their journey and with nowhere to go.

We feel called and compelled to give to organizations who are on the ground, working with displaced families and refugees.  To do that, we decided to do what we have been doing for family and friends for over 30 years: just bake.

We are baking and selling cinnamon rolls for local delivery. Net proceeds will be donated to help refugees in crisis. The organizations we are currently supporting are The Refuge Initiative, Mennonite Central Committee and PreEmptive Love Coalition.

To learn more about the refugee crisis, click on the Learn More tab. If you're looking for a tangible way to help, click on the Get Involved tab.

To order your Cinnamon Rolls, head on over to our online shop or contact us.