It has been so encouraging to hear how volunteers are reaching out to their refugee friends to offer support during the COVID-19 crisis.
Undoubtedly, everyone has been affected by this virus in some capacity, whether that be working fewer hours, trying to teach your kids from home, or the inability to see loved ones. When life gets disrupted and routines shift, it can be hard to stay committed to helping others… or even knowing how to help.
Even though we aren’t visiting like before, we decided as a group to periodically drop off something for them at the doorstep of their apartment.”
We love these ideas of how a team from a local church is supporting their friends:
We continue to be in contact with our refugee family of five. Our group has made sure the family understands what is going on (we were able to find a COVID-19 info sheet in Swahili for them). We also found a local food shelf offering curbside pickup and team members were able to pick up and drop off while keeping a social distance.
Dad is tired! He works so hard (physical work at the factory) and works nights. The good thing is that he is still able to work and is getting overtime often, so their finances are slightly improved even though mom is not working, which is good now that the kids will be home for school.
We found out recently that mom is pregnant and having a baby boy! Last week we were able to get her a bunch of baby gear from someone in our church who was getting rid of their baby things, so that was great!
We have been working with them to do their taxes and work on their green card as well as other miscellaneous things that they need during this time.
Even though we aren’t visiting like before, we decided as a group to periodically drop off something for them at the doorstep of their apartment. We tell them when we will drop it off, put it on the front step of their apartment, text them to let them know it is there, and then either wave from the car when they come out or stay 10′ back and say a quick hello. We are bringing them food we know they use (onions, potatoes, and rice!) or flowers or something our kids made for them, etc… Just something that says we are thinking of them.
– Team Leader from Emmanuel Covenant Church
We are so grateful for committed volunteers and your faithful partnership. Visit our COVID-19 resources page for more ideas of how to engage during this time. We are continually updating this page and, based on the great idea from Emmanuel Covenant, have added culturally-specific grocery ideas!