DAVENPORT, Iowa — World Relief Quad Cities is still in the process of helping to resettle Afghan refugees here in the Quad Cities. The organization is receiving help from some local parishes to furnish homes for families on their way.
Holy Family Catholic Church, St. Paul's and St. John Vianney's Catholic Church have been collecting donations for the past ten days or so. Volunteers on Tuesday, Dec. 14 packed up furniture and home goods for a family on their way.
Typically, World Relief Quad Cities gets only about 48 hours of notification before a family shows up. Luckily, the organization has some more time for the family they are currently preparing for.
That Afghan family has 11 people in it. World Relief estimates the family will arrive late December or early January.
Ryan Burchett is one of the volunteers who helped pack up furniture and other home goods.
"I think a chance to bring this home. You feel like this is a world away and that you don't have anything to deal with it," Burchett said. "But what we do, this is a chance to tangibly do something physical, to take this stuff to give to somebody, and to help welcome them into our community."
Burchett said World Relief put out a list of about 210 items that were needed for the families home. Through donations, the organization was able to cross-off about 175 of those items, with other items also donated.
"It gives us a chance not only to donate the goods, but also to move it into the house and kind of HGTV the place up a little bit, you know, so that hopefully we'll be not just helping them out by getting the goods, but also really make them feel welcome in our community," Burchett said.
So far a little over than 50 refugees have been resettled here. Other local parishes in the area have been collecting goods and putting together gift baskets for families as well.
You can donate items to World Relief Quad Cities to help refugees arriving to the area as well. Click here for more information.