There are a projected 1,169 Afghan refugees coming to six cities in North Carolina over the next six months, including Raleigh and Durham, following the crisis in Afghanistan. Organizations within the Triangle have taken action to support Afghan refugees, and several clubs and organizations at Meredith College have joined in this effort. The Chaplain’s Office, Student Government Association (SGA), Sisters United, Meredith International Association (MIA) and Meredith Immigrant and Refugee Club have come together to start a basic goods drive. The Chaplain’s Office will be collecting donations until Oct. 15, and donation bins can be found in the Cate Center, Joyner Hall and Jones Chapel. Items requested include hygiene items, cleaning supplies, bottled water, paper products like paper towels and toilet paper, diapers and wipes, non-perishable food items and pantry staples. Launa Steward, the Chaplain’s graduate student intern, told The Herald that “the Chaplain’s Office is thankful for [campus] support in welcoming new families to Raleigh.”
Items collected from the drive will be donated to the Raleigh Baptist Association (RBA), specifically to their Afghan Refugee Resettlement Emergency Mission outreach program. They intend to support Afghan families and translators with their transition. Additional things that RBA is asking for are donations, gift cards for clothing, devotional books and furniture or housing items. Those additional items can be dropped off to RBA directly.
By Jeanine Carryl, Staff Writer