Catholic Charities Office of Migration and Refugee Services is a collaboration of volunteers, staff and donors who share their gifts of time, talent and treasure to help welcome and acquaint more than 500 individuals each week. Their services also support 250 refugees annually who are resettling in the United States.
Case workers, language instructors, legal aid and a variety of staff members work seven days a week to help culturally and spiritually orient refugees from countries including Bhutan, Burma, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Eritrea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine.
“When refugees are resettled to the United States they often come with nothing,” said Tom Mrosko, director of the Office of Migration and Refugee Services for Catholic Charities. “As part of the U.S. government’s process for resettlement for refugees, our office finds rental units for families. We supply the basic items needed for not just survival but a brand new start.”
Through the #weGiveCatholic day of online giving, MRS fundraises for the everyday essentials to help outfit living spaces. Online donation requests begin at $10, which supplies items such as paper towels, tissues and toiletry items. A $25 donation provides a family with pots and pans. Sheets and bath towels can be provided with a donation of $50.
“Monetary donations for everyday use items help offset total costs for a family and allow MRS to dedicate budgets for long-term assistance such as monthly apartment rentals or expenses in applying for green cards or other U.S. resident assistance programs” Mrosko said.
Using the incremental donation model of $10 to $100, MRS raised a total of $6,515 last year. This year they set a goal of $6,000 and included opportunities for donations to go towards furniture purchases. Through social media, targeted email campaigns and a sharing their mission of ministry via video, MRS is embracing elements of digital media to help promote their participation in the 2018 #weGiveCatholic campaign.
“It is awesome to see in real time on one day how individuals from our community find ways to help us in our mission of Welcoming the Stranger,” Mrosko said. “Everyone can help someone with the structure of our online donations. A little will go a long way.”
All are invited to make a difference on Tuesday, Nov. 27 for #weGiveCatholic. Visit weGiveCatholic.org to donate and support the Office of Migration and Refugee Services or any of the other 196 participating Catholic schools, parishes, Catholic Charities sites and programs, and Catholic nonprofits. Search weGiveCatholic.org now to see the profiles of all the participating organizations; then go online to make donations from midnight until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27.