Afghan Family Support: Helping Refugee Families in Need Throughout Our Community

In late 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 — and nearly 100,000 Afghan people are in the process of resettling in the United States. As you can imagine, leaving your home country and everything you know in haste is an extremely stressful situation. So, Stillwater Catholic Charities is working to help the families get settled with everything they need, and here at St. Francis Xavier, we are in a position to help.

Mike FitzGerald, Operations Manager at Stillwater Catholic Charities, part of Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma, says the organization will help about 40 families, amounting to 150-200 children and adults. The people and families have been coming here from Tulsa over the past few months. The refugees will be housed in apartments at Oklahoma State University (OSU). This work of mercy is made possible through many partnerships across religious organizations, businesses, and nonprofits.

“It’s a beautiful thing to see all of these groups coming together to help these people,” Mike says. “The group that has come together to support the refugees is non-denominational.”

OSU is serving as a major partner in this effort, helping the refugees with bus transportation, classes in English as a Second Language, and possible employment.

“OSU is leading the way in the nation with this type of support,” Mike says.

Mike has enjoyed getting to know the families who have settled so far in Stillwater. Coming to the United States with very little, the families need a lot of support and items to cover the necessities. The First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall collects and stores donated items. The refugees can come in and “shop” for what they need, from bedding to kitchen essentials. Donations of household items are needed — please see the following link for all items currently being collected — global.okstate.edu/afghan-project/ index.html.

“We had a group of Mennonite churches in Illinois bring more than 20 mattresses with box springs, 40 vacuums, and teapots,” Mike says. “I’m blown away by people’s generosity.”

People can also donate directly to this work by donating to “Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement.” These funds can help with the monthly food distribution, toys for the children, or if one of the refugees has a medical issue. Donations can be mailed to our parish, or they may also be dropped in the collection.

Mike feels blessed to be part of the resettlement effort thus far. People at our parish have opened their hearts to help, and Mike has been blown away by the gifts of time, talent, and treasure.

“The congregation at St. Francis Xavier is fantastic,” Mike says. “They are truly serving as the hands and feet of Christ’s merciful love.”

Those who have helped in some way from St. Francis Xavier have seen a glimpse of what it’s like to serve those who are genuinely in need. Mike has had the opportunity to interact with the refugees regularly.

“To me, personally, it is a huge blessing to do this work,” he says. “There’s nothing like having your core beliefs validated daily and being absolutely humbled by all who donate to people in real need.”

The Afghan families are all thankful to have their own spaces, as they were previously living in a hotel. They are enjoying the opportunity to be outside and walk.

“They are all just really thankful and down-toearth,” Mike says. “They look forward to finding a job and getting settled here. They are truly seeing that this is a country of opportunity.”

To learn more about the needs of the Afghan families, please visit global.okstate.edu/afghan-project/index.html. If you have any questions, Mike FitzGerald may be reached at mfitzgerald@cceok.org.

A volunteer in Stillwater pulls personal care supplies in preparation for an Afghan family.