Community Provides Essential Support to Our Brothers and Sisters from Afghanistan

In August 2021, the United States Armed Forces withdrew troops from Afghanistan. Before the withdrawal, there were several weeks of chaos as many Afghan people tried to leave for the United States. Nearly 100,000 Afghan people are resettling in the United States. As you can imagine, leaving your home country and everything you know in haste is an extremely stressful situation. Here at Immaculate Conception, we are in a position to help. We have committed to helping one family with their needs through the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Office.

Carmel Hanley, Immaculate Conception administrative assistant, has been helping to coordinate a support team of nine other people here at Immaculate Conception and the donations that have been received. Lisa Hayes has worked directly with the family, who remains anonymous through this process.

“Each person on the support team has helped in a different way and we make sure someone visits the family each day to see if they need anything and if they are okay,” Carmel says.

Thanks to donations from parishioners, the family has been provided with housing, furnishings, clothing, and more. As time goes on, the family will still need financial help with rent, utilities, insurance, phone bills, and groceries, to name a few. The father is currently working.

Carmel and Lisa have enjoyed helping the family and getting to know them. As for why we should all support this family, Carmel directs us to the Gospel of Matthew:

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you? And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:35-40).

How fitting these words of Jesus are in this situation. Our brothers and sisters from Afghanistan are in need. In helping them, we are helping our Lord. We are seeing the face of our Lord in those most in need. Carmel asks that we continue to be generous toward the family.

“Any time you help another person you grow in your faith,” Carmel says. “We are all God’s children. It does not matter where we came from or what religion we are, God loves all of us equally.”

Carmel has enjoyed getting to know the family. The whole sponsor team has been blessed by working with them. Carmel wants to thank everyone for the support they have given this family.

You can donate to this project through online giving at iccnlr.org. You may also drop your donation in the collection indicating it is for the “Afghan Family.”