I am posting this request to ask for donations on behalf of my Afghan friend who has been volunteering tirelessly last several months for the Afghan refugees who are starting their lives in this area.
My Afghan friend, also a colleague at my work, and his family have been helping and supporting many Afghan refugees who are settling in the Puget Sound area. He has many families he is volunteering for, from translation, finding housing (biggest challenge), assisting in filling out paperwork, providing rides to grocery shopping, taking them to job trainings/interviews, delivering home-cooked food, on his weekend and all out of his pocket.
If you have any items in your closet, kitchen, garage, any household items, that you would like to donate, would you please contact my friend directly (his number to be found in the article below) or myself. I would be happy to assist and coordinate the pick ups. He is also a Board member for a non-profit AACA. https://www.aaca-wa.org/. You could take the items to the AACA site directly too.
Requesting items:
- Clothing (all sizes)
- Shoes
- Kitchen utensils
- Pots and pans
- blankets and pillows
- toothbrushes/paste
- hygiene items
- food
- gift cards, safeway, Fred Meyer, gas cards - my friend is driving the families for appointments. Gas cards would really help him.
- Housing - do you have an extra bedroom? or a place to rent?
My friend's contact number is at the bottom of this article. Feel free to text him at first. https://www.portseattle.org/blog/port-employee-and-partners-support-afghan-refugees
I also have a Go Fund Me page I created for my friend. He wants his family out of Afghanistan. If you would like to donate any funds directly to my friend, text him directly for Venmo, or I would be happy to send the GFM link. He has about 40 family members in Kabul, trying to cross the border and, 10 in the neighboring country who crossed the border, to come to the U.S. He is unable to bring them yet, due to lack of funds.
I realize that my friend is caught in the middle. His own family is back in Afghanistan, needing funds to come to the U.S. As my friend works full time but he spends his own time volunteering and his partial income goes to help support the Afghan refugees settling here.
Anything you could do to help, any ideas, suggestions, please let me know.
Thank you for your consideration.
Leona Komatsu