How to help Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy
Religious and charitable organizations across Wisconsin are asking for donations and volunteers to help the more than 5,000 Afghan refugees staying at Fort McCoy.
New arrivals will stay temporarily at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin’s only active military base, before refugee resettlement agencies place them in permanent homes around the country. Only a fraction will be resettled in Wisconsin.
Because of the emergency evacuation, many Afghans have arrived at Fort McCoy with few belongings. Organizations at the base are requesting donations of culturally appropriate clothing, hygiene items, baby supplies and more.
“Nearly all Afghan families are arriving here with only the clothes on their backs, so the needs are immense,” Catholic Charities of La Crosse says on its website.
“Wisconsinites have a proud tradition of rolling up our sleeves to help our neighbors when times are tough, and since learning folks leaving Afghanistan would be coming through Wisconsin, Wisconsinites have been asking what they can do to help,” Gov. Tony Evers said in a news release. “I want to thank the organizations and partners who are stepping up to offer their support.”
How to volunteer
Nonprofits are also seeking volunteers who can spend at least one to two weeks in the area.
Volunteers may spend time with people to raise their morale, provide services, and help access and fill out forms that will be processed by the government.
Those with experience in legal, social work, counseling, education, immigration or refugee fields are encouraged to volunteer, according to the Wisconsin Catholic Conference.
There’s also a need for mental health services, medical care, and even hairdressers and barbers, Chris Hennemeyer, a migration and refugee services consultant for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, told the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Volunteers must go through an application and vetting process.
To volunteer through Catholic Charities of the Diocese of La Crosse, click the blue “sign up” button at cclse .org/afghanistan-refugee-assistance.
To volunteer through Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay, go to catholiccharitiesgb.org/afghan -assistance.
Wisconsin’s four refugee resettlement agencies are also seeking volunteers to help settle Afghans in Wisconsin communities.
What and where to donate
Catholic Charities has set up registries with Amazon and Target where people can purchase needed items from a wish list. The items are sent directly to the organization’s La Crosse location, which will deliver them to Fort McCoy.
Find links to the registries, and a spot to donate money, at cclse.org/ afghanistan-refugee-assistance.
The link also includes a list of urgently needed items, which can be dropped off at Catholic Charities in La Crosse, 3710 East Avenue South, Monday through Friday, 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.
The Islamic Society of Milwaukee is seeking religiously and culturally appropriate clothing in a drive running Friday through Monday at its main location, 4707 S. 13th Street. The mosque is requesting new or lightly used salwar kameez outfits, women’s scarves, children’s clothes and new undergarments for adults and children as well as other culturally appropriate clothing.
Monetary donations are also accepted online or in checks.
The Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition is also seeking donations. It has asked all items to be new and in their original packaging. Drop off items at the Islamic Resource Center, 5235 S. 27th Street, Greenfield.
The coalition said there is an urgent need for women’s scarves, men’s and women’s traditional clothing, underwear, socks, baby onesies and blankets, prayer rugs and copies of the Quran.
Team Rubicon, a national disaster response nonprofit, asks people to email resettlementsupport@teamrubiconusa.org to request its most recent list of items. Only new items will be accepted.
Though there are limited locations accepting in-person donations, Wisconsin plans to open more locations across the state in the coming weeks.
Refugee resettlement agencies are also seeking monetary donations to help settle Afghans in Wisconsin communities.
The agencies provide furnished housing to refugee families and help secure jobs, enroll children in school and arrange doctor’s appointments.
Visit the websites of Wisconsin’s four resettlement agencies for instructions on how to donate:
• Lutheran Social Services (based in Milwaukee): lsswis.org/service/refugee -resettlement/refugee-resettlement/
• International Institute of Wisconsin (based in Milwaukee): iiwisconsin .org/contribute.php
• World Relief Fox Valley (based in Appleton): worldrelief.org/fox-valley/ get-involved/afghan-allies/
• Jewish Social Services (based in Madison): jssmadison.org/posts/ clarification-regarding-jss-role-inhelping-afghan-siv-recipients/