Help for Afghan Refugees

I imagine that you, like me, when seeing the desperate images of Afghans trying to flee to safety, you are wondering many things. I get lost in thoughts like, “That’s terrible” and “What can be done?” Eventually I get around to, “What can I do?” Then I get lost in questions that hover around what trusted organizations are doing very practical things. Eventually I give up and reach for a snack.  Not this time.

I would like to point you to our friends over at Hope for San Diego. They are a trusted organization that I’ve served with personally, and one that several Flourish San Diego partner churches also work with to provide practical help to our neighbors most in need. You can read their most recent communication on this urgent need.

Our city is one that is designated to receive refugees to the United States. Agencies here in town are trying to meet the need of resettling two to six families each week. Many of these families are coming over with Special Immigrant Visas because of their work as translators. Here are a couple of practical ways you can do something.

How You Can Help

Volunteer – Sign up for text/email alerts. Often families arrive with only a 24-hour notice. Volunteers can help with shopping for essential items and setting up apartments. Sign up here.

Buy Stuff – Put your Amazon shopping skills to use for the Lord. Families arrive with very few belongings and precious little funds. Here is a pre-populated list.

Give – Your donations to Hope for San Diego to help it continue it’s good work. But you should also know that they raise significant funds to grant partner organizations, in this case, help resettle refugees. Head to their website to see how they focus efforts to carefully vetted organizations.

Thanks for giving this some thought. I encourage you to consider helping in some way as an exercise in spiritual formation. A practice of generosity or hospitality that, bit by bit, shapes us to become the people who resembles the image in who we are made.

– Geoff