Dear Friends,
As the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan occurred in late August, many of us asked what we could to do help. Many of us have given funds to worthy charities to support refugees and those who were left behind. But now there is something we can do closer to home.
The Diocese of Olympia's Refugee Resettlement Office is welcoming Afghan families who are arriving in our area and needs our help to set these families on their feet. Specifically we are being asked to help supply a house with cleaning supplies, kitchen utensils and tools, furnishings, linens, etc. for a family of 6. Please click
here to see what is needed. St. Augustine's-in-the-Woods is partnering with us to provide items on this list. Other churches in the Seattle area are assisting arriving families with these and other tasks like registering children for school and orientation to groceries stores, etc. So, it will take, not only a village, but a diocese to get this done!
Please look in your storage areas, basements, attics, closets, etc. to see if you have anything in good condition that on the
list that you could give. That will be our first task. It may be a month or so before a family is ready to move into a permanent residence where the items are needed. But we can identify what we have to contribute now, and then the Outreach Committee and other volunteers will figure out how to collect those items from you and deliver them, when they are needed.
Some of our congregation might prefer to donate funds to purchase needed supplies. .You will see some items on the list, such as toiletries, that need to be purchased new. You can purchase those items yourself, or write a check to
St Stephen's Episcopal Church with "Afghan Family" written in the memo line (leaving it at church or sending it to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church P.O. Box 2754, Oak Harbor, WA 98277). Or you can donate on-line at
https://www.ststephensofoakharbor.org/ and type into the on-line form that your donation is for the "Afghan Family." In that case, the Outreach Committee or other volunteers can do the shopping for you.
Marsha V. is the point person for St. Stephen's on this project. Please let her know what items you could contribute to our project, what items you would like to purchase.
Yours in faith,
The St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Outreach Committee
