A movement of neighbors and friends dedicated to welcoming new arrival families into our community through inspired crowdsourcing solutions.
MIRY’S LIST
Picture the place that feels like home. Imagine that place in your mind.
What does home look like? What things are around you in that place that is home? Do you feel a soft pillow? Are there pictures on the wall?
What does home sound like? Whose voices do you hear? What language are they speaking?
Can you tune into the smell of home? Perhaps the aroma of a favorite comfort food cooking.
Home is more than a physical space. Home is a feeling that awakens the senses.
When you welcome a family through Miry’s List, you become a part of creating that feeling of home for another. Isn’t that extraordinary?
The work of Miry’s List is an investment—in families, human beings, and new Americans. It’s about investing in them upon arrival because the impact is so real: We all need a community and a home we can count on, and together we help one another thrive.
There are many ways to jump in and help. Consider this your invitation to have a seat at our table.
How You Can Help
(without even reading this whole magazine - although you should!)
We all have something to give.
Miry’s List is a community support system for new arrival refugee families in the U.S. We build community bridges, innovate solutions, and nurture a culture of welcoming hospitality through family-to-family and friend-tofriend connections.
Miry’s List provides a mechanism for people to directly help new arrival refugee families with the incredible challenge of resettlement in the U.S. With our community’s support, we work to take resettling families from surviving to thriving in 12 months. During this 12-month transition into their new home and country, Miry’s List not only guides families and provides practical support like furnishing their new homes, language classes, and mental health support, but also creates a sense of home by helping them make new friends and connections.
Since 2016, we’ve engaged over 280,000 American people to support more than 1,200 families who have come through the Federal Refugee Resettlement program from countries including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and most recently, Ukraine and Moldova.
2023 DEDICATION
By Sayed Hashmi, Wishlist Program Director, Miry’s List
Dear Miry's List Hive,
In a tumultuous summer of 2021, life took an unexpected turn for me, a dedicated employee of a US-based Democracy organization in Afghanistan. Faced with the impending crisis and the swift advance of Taliban forces, my family and I were given a heart-wrenching instruction: leave the country I had called home. Amidst the uncertainty, we departed for Ankara, Turkey, only to hear on a fateful August morning that the Afghan President had fled and the Taliban had taken control. The world we knew had dramatically changed, but with an active Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) case, hope still lingered.
Arriving in the United States on October 11, 2021, accompanied by my wife and three children, we embarked on a fresh chapter in the Bay Area of California. The transition was laden with challenges, but resilience and a stroke of fate intervened in the form of Miry’s List Wishlist Program. Beyond providing household essentials, Miry’s List enveloped us with unwavering moral support, nurturing a sense of belonging in this new land.
As a direct result of a strong foundation of solidarity and as a community-bolstered refugee, I ventured into the realm of job hunting, yielding a myriad of opportunities. Among these, a gracious offer from my former employer beckoned, followed by an
exceptional opening at Miry’s List itself. Thus, an unforeseen twist of fate had come full circle, enabling us not only to rebuild our life but also to uplift fellow refugees through the innovative program Miry’s List offered.
As I embraced my role at Miry’s List, I marveled at the chance to make a profound difference each day, a sentiment shared by our compassionate colleagues. The organization’s unique approach not only aided us in attaining selfsufficiency but also facilitated our seamless integration into the vibrant tapestry of American society. With the unwavering support of our new community, we blossomed, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of collective care.
God bless America!
Miry’s List enveloped us with unwavering moral support, nurturing a sense of belonging in this new land. “
Photo by Christina Gandolfo
The two youngest AbuGharbihs fill their plates after their mom, Huda, gives an inspiring speech at the 2023 World Refugee Day Awards. Photo by Christina Gandolfo
Providing
A LETTER FROM MIRY
Dear friends and neighbors,
As I write this letter, I feel overwhelmed with emotions, my heart heavy yet bursting with pride. There are moments in life when one’s love becomes so palpable it brings tears to their eyes. I am proud to be here because we’ve built an organization on the ideals of friendship, compassion, and autonomy. Our strength lies in our ability to come together, learn from one another, and create a new culture of welcoming in the United States as partners standing side by side.
Every refugee who sets foot on American soil carries with them an experience of survival, courage, and determination. They have endured unimaginable hardships, leaving behind familiarity and almost everything they held dear. Yet, despite these adversities, they arrive with dreams in their hearts and profound gratitude for the chance at a new beginning.
When we stand with resettling refugees, we acknowledge the inherent worth and dignity of every human being. We embrace our shared humanity and offer a helping hand to those forced to flee their homelands. Each act of kindness and support can make an unforgettable difference in another person’s life. Here are examples of some of the ways you can harness, transmit, and multiply your love:
• Share a meal with a friend
• Engage in a friendly conversation, share stories and experiences
• Send a housewarming gift with a personal note
• Lend a helping hand to someone
• Look into the eyes of someone you know
• Look into the eyes of someone you don’t know yet
The intentional creation of space for connection and proactive sharing of the love in your heart are extraordinary actions. I can feel it in the air, see it on your faces, and taste it in incredible meals made with so much love. We inspire hope and support positive change in countless lives by standing with resettling refugees. We show our children, our communities, and the world that together, we are building a future filled with compassion, and we celebrate diversity as one of our greatest strengths. Let us extend our hand in friendship and support, shaping a future that reflects the best of who we are.
I invite you to join the Miry’s List Welcomers Circle, our monthly giving program. Offering consistent support is the most important thing you can do to ensure that Miry’s List’s work will continue. Signing up for any amount, even $10 a month, gives us the freedom to plan for the future. Doing so demonstrates your commitment to ensuring that families arriving in the United States as refugees are welcomed with love, friendship, and a community support system.
Our “Hive” comprises over 280,000 people nationwide who have already participated in welcoming refugees through Miry’s List since our founding in 2016. Signing up for Miry’s List Welcomer’s Circle means you are part of the solution for families resettling as refugees, ensuring that every family in the Miry’s List program receives the welcome and ongoing support needed to thrive in the United States.
I hope your experiences with Miry’s List lead you to learn something about the world. I hope being in our Hive opens doors to new friendships. I hope being here invites you to explore something new within yourself. Reading this guide to our community’s impact will inspire you to recognize the power each of you holds in improving the resettling experience for another.
Let’s note the courageous actions and heroic parenting exhibited by migrating people worldwide. Let’s follow their lead, be brave, and move into action. Let’s focus on the many things we can change, one step at a time.
Thank you for helping.
Yours,
Miry Whitehill Founder and Executive Director, Miry’s List
Photo by Christina Gandolfo
THE MISSION:
Why We Do This
The mission of Miry’s List is to improve the experience for new arrival families by filling gaps in the governmental system of support for refugees and providing a mechanism for our community of supporters to help resettling American families directly.
Our Purpose
Imagine walking into a job interview or the first day at a new school, trying to put your best self forward, but your back hurts because you’ve been sleeping on the floor.
This is the reality for many resettling refugee families in the United States. Government agencies provide limited assistance that does not always meet the families’ needs and comfort.
Miry’s List programming is designed to alleviate the effects of a traumatic migration experience by offering friendship, comfort, and connection for families and individuals who left friends, family, and familiarity behind.
The Problem We’re Addressing
Newly arrived refugees in the U.S. often lack access to basic material needs, social connections, and professional networks. Many also experience discrimination based on their religious, national, ethnic, racial, and linguistic identities.
All of this may lead to or exacerbate poor physical and psychological health among the population and hinder new arrivals from achieving independent and productive lives in their new communities. Ultimately, such compromised conditions only intensify social division, economic inequality, and discrimination against refugees.
Difficulties New Arrivals Often Face
• Social isolation and racial, ethnic, or religious discrimination critically impacts refugees’ well-being.
• Existing refugee resettlement services are not oriented to alleviate refugees’ social isolation and discrimination against them.
• Poverty is a key factor in social isolation.
• Social welfare systems within the U.S., including those for refugees, are underfunded and overworked and cannot provide for new arrivals’ basic needs, let alone connect them to meaningful economic opportunities.
• Wealth and equity gaps are widening and follow racial disparity lines, which further impacts refugees’ ability to achieve financial stability.
Miry and Ayman Issa are building a new stroller for a new arrival family outside their apartment complex in El Cajon, California.
THE C RE VALUES OF MIRY’S LIST
OUR C RE VALUES
1. Autonomy. You know what you need. You know how to lead. We’re here to support your vision and hold space for you to create the world you envision.
2. Fair Shot & Equity. The inherent worth and dignity of every human being. We embrace our shared humanity and offer a helping hand to those who have been forced to flee their homelands. We celebrate our differences, they make us unique and complete.
3. Camaraderie. Friend to friend, we encourage the demonstration of kindness to develop more compassionate and empowered leaders.
4. Wellbeing. Your physical and emotional comfort matter. Fostering a space where it’s safe to share life experiences and heal trauma, not through compartmentalizing, but through sharing.
5. Consent. Honoring our ability to choose. We are unique individuals who proactively opt-in to our lives.
6. Trust & Philanthropy. You believe in us, we believe in you. Philanthropy and generosity are the fuel of Miry’s List and essential to mission delivery.
A Movement of Friends & Neighbors
Miry’s List is a nonprofit organization providing a mechanism for people to directly help new arrival refugee families with the incredible challenge of resettlement in the U.S. With practical support and joyful friends waiting to welcome them, resettling families are set up to thrive through Miry’s List’s wrap-around program that extends long beyond government support.
We’re building cultural bridges, nurturing new friendships among neighbors, and transforming how American people welcome new arrival families.
Since 2016, Miry’s List has engaged over 280,000 American people to support more than 1,200 families who have come through the Federal Refugee Resettlement program from countries including:
Since August 2021, Miry’s List has expanded capacity by 25% to assist over 2,000 individuals annually. With our community’s support, we aim to assist as many of the up to 60,000 refugees who arrive in the U.S. each year.
Today, Miry’s List families live in 27 states and hundreds of cities across the United States.
“Miry's List made us feel like we are in our hometown.”
- Marzia Reshtin, mom of 3 from Afghanistan, new resident of Los Angeles
Survive Hive Thrive
Miry’s List 12-month wraparound program, Survive/Hive/Thrive, assists newcomers in 5 key areas as they navigate their first year in the United States:
WELCOMING: We start with a personal call and welcome kit for new arrivals’ first days in America. This kit includes toiletries, clothing, baby formula, cleaning supplies, handmade blankets, toys, school supplies, and handwritten welcome cards from our community.
SETTING UP: Connecting families with essential household items to make their new homes safe, functional, and comfortable. We affirm the individuality of each family by providing the autonomy to choose items based on style, color, preference, comfort, and individual family needs.
SUPPORTING: We offer classes and other community support for conversational English and social needs to develop communication skills and connect locals and newcomers.
LIVING: We offer mental health support groups and individual care, addressing trauma and current self-care needs with cultural sensitivity.
CONTINUING: Driving a cycle of giving and reciprocity, offering opportunities for resettling individuals to volunteer as mentors to support the families who have come after them
985
INDIVIDUAL HUMANS
552
CHILDREN AGE 3 to 17
153
105 BABIES AGE 0-2
OUR PR GRAMS
Miry’s List programming is intentionally designed to give new arrival families the comfort of a track to follow and the flexibility to customize and control their experience meet their family’s unique needs. All elements of the program prioritize autonomy, wellbeing, and camaraderie. Here we have detailed each of these 3 focus areas, including examples of what is sounds like in our day-to-day interactions with families:
Autonomy: “What color do you like?” Autonomy is especially crucial for people who have experienced trauma because it’s an opportunity for them to retake control, make decisions, and recover a sense of agency over one’s life, leading to increased confidence and self-worth.
Wellbeing: “How are you feeling?” Shifting focus and thoughts from survival to comfort, rest, and new relationships is transformative for newcomer families who have been through so much.
Camaraderie: “I hope to meet your family soon.” Demonstration of prioritization, friendship and caring. Families feel lifted up by a community of new friends who care deeply about their needs and comfort.
WELCOME WORKSHOP
The Welcome Workshop is the center of welcoming operations for Miry's List families.
The Miry's List Welcome Workshop began in 2020, responding to the most urgent need for supplies by new arrival families during COVID-19. This staffed space is where we work with volunteers to store donated supplies and sort, pack, and ship welcome packages to new arrival families in 27 states nationally.
Since then, our community has donated thousands of brand-new items, including housewares, clothing, school supplies, diapers, and more. These housewarming items have been sent directly to new arrival families by our hard-working staff and volunteers.
Want to plan a service day or volunteer at our LA Welcome Workshop? Learn more at miryslist.org/welcome-workshop.
List PROGRAMS
Miry’s
Feel the love. At a time when a family may feel vulnerable and alone, a housewarming gift is someone saying I have your back In this way, each package is far more valuable than the things inside it. We expand our families’ community and social networks, opening their doors to the welcoming neighbors around them.
Our flagship program, Wishlists by Miry’s List, has supported over 1,300 new arrival families in maintaining autonomy as they furnish their new homes, and provides a direct mechanism for the American public to welcome new arrival families through the simple, joyful act of sending a housewarming gift. New arrival families create custom wishlists of the things they need to turn their house into a home to feel safe, comfortable and supported. Wishlists are published on our website where anyone can send a newly resettling family a gift to welcome them. Wishlists by Miry's List addresses a full spectrum of things that people need in their first home in a new country, from basic necessities such as beds, hygiene products, kitchen utensils, and school supplies, to larger items like furniture, appliances, and tech devices.
Our model has been incredibly successful, facilitating tens of thousands of gifts so far, and Miry’s List currently operates the largest wishlist platform for resettling refugees in the United States.
Wishlists by Miry’s List provides direct connection between thousands of resettling individuals and their new American neighbors, and has implemented the hel[p of hundreds of volunteer listmakers. As Miry’s List has grown exponentially as an organization, so too we need to expand our capacity to continue to keep up with demand for our Wishlist program. Want to help? Visit miryslist.org/lists and send love to on of our families. Don’t forget to write a gift message! u
SANAH:
Supporting American Newcomers At Home
Miry’s List focuses on the physical, emotional, and social needs of people resettling in the United States after fleeing violence or persecution.
As families across the country, many have few opportunities to meet their new neighbors, integrate into their new communities, practice English, and make American friends.
ABOUT OFFERINGS:
SANAH is a home learning program for participating New Arrival families at Miry’s List. It is led by devoted volunteer tutors who play a role in supporting the adjustment of these families to their new life in the United States. Miry’s List trains these tutors and provides the families with opportunities to build confidence through connections with a new American friend on a weekly basis.
To address the isolation and social detachment that resettling individuals and families experience, Miry’s List launched SANAH in 2021 to provide families with a virtual ESL class from home, a laptop computer, and a trained volunteer English tutor. Many participants of SANAH are parents with multiple young children, some of whom have since used these provided devices to engage in local community college courses. SANAH was created to offset the isolation and social detachment that resettling refugee families experience upon arrival to the U.S.
• SANAH Home Learning, a virtual social-emotional learning program for resettling individuals. Trained peer volunteers support social interaction and community building for new arrival families.
• The program provides a mechanism for social engagement between newcomers and their new American neighbors.
• The SANAH supply kit includes a laptop, noisecanceling headphones, other accessories, and credit for home internet access to practice conversational English, develop confidence and skills, and build friendships.
• Weekly 1:1 lessons with students for 12 with provided curriculum, conversation starters, and activity framework.
• Friday Group Sessions: These interactive sessions are designed to engage participants in larger teams to complete tasks, group activities, weekly ice breakers, and share one thing they like about themselves or something they learned this week.
12 WEEK TUTORING:
• Offered three times a year, a New Arrival student is paired with a volunteer American friend/tutor to meet and share about each other’s culture and customs
• Miry’s List families benefit from the regular SANAH lessons and English practice from someone who can answer questions and explain the American way of life, such as enrolling children in school, going to the doctor, riding public transportation, and obtaining driver’s licenses.
SUMMER FOR STUDENTS:
• Offered during the summer, a New Arrival child (ages 6-14) is paired with a volunteer high school tutor/ mentor
• The program focuses on SEL (Social Emotional Learning) and fun activities.
PROGRAMS
FATIMEH
Feelings, Actions, and Thoughts in Mental & Emotional Health
A transformative mental wellness program designed for resettling young people and older adults.
ABOUT
FATIMEH is a mental wellness training and support group for resettling youth and older adults designed to help meet unmet needs within the resettling community.
Together, we further validate the emotions of young people, connect them with accessible resources, and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health. As communities everywhere navigate multiple overlapping crises, young people have stated clearly their need for proactive mental health support.
FATIMEH was launched in 2022 in partnership with the Born This Way Foundation Kindness in Community Fund to provide free, accessible, community-informed mental health support for resettling youth.
THRIVING THROUGH FOOD
We believe that a welcoming country begins with welcoming neighbors.
Photos by Gina Danals
Thriving Through Food is a web series by Pati Jinich, a Mexican chef, television personality, cookbook author, educator, and food writer best known for her James Beard Award-winning and Emmy-nominated public television series Pati’s Mexican Table. The series celebrates the diversity of cultures and cuisines brought by immigrants that we enjoy in the U.S. One episode explores the flavors of Afghanistan with Miry’s List’s New Arrival Supper Club.
Immigrants to the country come bearing gifts. They bring talents and skills that add to our economy and our communities, expand our horizons, and teach us about the world and culture, including warm, loving customs and delicious food. While refugees come to the U.S. searching for a life where they will be safe and where their children can build a future, most would have stayed in their homes if they could, like most of us. Whether they’ve fled their home or journeyed here willingly, resettling refugees arrive eager to actively participate in their new communities, adding to the United States’ rich tapestry.
“I was delighted I got to meet Sayed and his whole family. Even more fun because I got to help him make Kabuli Pulao, a dish he says all Afghans grew up making. It's typically served when there are guests or there's something to celebrate, and he chose to share it with all of us at the Miry's List supper club to welcome him to his new community.”
Jinich, Mexican chef, TV personality, cookbook author, educator, and food writer.
2023 Miry’s List
World Refugee Day Awards
Award designed by Cathi Milligan, The Glass Studio LA
Photos by Christina Gandolfo
The 2023 Miry’s List World Refugee Day Awards raises awareness and support for resettling refugee families and honoring the contributions of our significant volunteer helpers.
Over a gorgeous shared Afghan dinner, interactive cooking demo, and tea, we had the privelege of getting to know individuals and families whose lives have been profoundly impacted by displacement, and we collectively took action to make a meaningful difference.
Hosted by Evan Kleiman Afghan Feast by Aquila Asghary Food Styling by Eliza Mozer Flowers by Samira Sediqqi Awards presented by Lynn Maxcy, Board Member
2023 World Refugee Day Awards Recipients
ELAINE YUKARI & JAMES TATSUYA, Kansha Creamery
Kansha Creamery was created from siblings Elaine and James’ big hearts. Kansha is the Japanese word for GRATITUDE. Opened in 2015, the business was born out of their desire to provide donations to charities. Elaine began with Miry’s List as a volunteer listmaker to support new arrival families in her community. Since 2020, Elaine and James have expanded the impact from 1-to-1 to 1-tomany by implementing their ice cream business, Kansha Creamery, to support Miry’s List. Through this partnership, a percentage of every sale is donated to causes, including Miry’s List, and so far, they have raised over $300,000 for organizations they believe in.
LEANNA LIN,
Leanna Lin Wonderland
The world is colorful, joyful, fun, and creative through Leanna Lin's eyes. Leanna has many passions, including art, fashion, animals, nature, and dancing, but above all, she is most passionate about connecting with her neighbors. In 2011, she created the perfect space for these connections. Leanna Lin's Wonderland is a truly unique space for art and expression. If you've been
there, you know! Through their gallery featuring independent artists + gorgeous curation of things to make you smile, from art, accessories, jewelry, collectible toys, plush, stationery, books, home decor, self-care & so much more! Leanna regularly features Miry's List to her customers; from collecting essential supplies for family welcome kits to fundraising to writing welcome letters to new arrival families with her customers, Leanna has made room in her heart and space in her shop for engaging more people in the values of welcoming.
ABIGAIL DOTSON, HearthLA
As a Realtor and Founder of HearthLA, most days, Abigail Dotson is helping people feel at home in their communities. As a helper, Abigail has supported Miry's List in countless ways since 2017: volunteering, offering her guest house for Miry's List families to temporarily live when they first arrive, planning & hosting fundraisers, introducing her friends to Miry's List and most recently, supporting Miry's List and other community organizations through her business by giving a portion of every transaction to grassroots causes. Each HearthLA client gets to choose to donate to a cause they are passionate about. This simple model has directly supported dozens of
new arrival families, and likely hundreds more through their nonprofit partners. Abigail demonstrates a commitment to building a small business rooted in values, doing good business, and doing good for the community.
ANDREA MILLER Go As If Creative
Andrea’s creative firm created the iconic Miry’s List logo and has been behind the brand’s visual expression since our founding in 2016. Andrea runs Go As If, a production company and creative agency offering consulting, development, art direction, event, and film production. Her work in partnership with public and private-sector organizations focuses on providing high-quality, intergenerational arts and culture experiences. Her productions and programming are a reflection of and in service to healthy and diverse communities.
Andrea’s work for Miry’s List since our founding has infused the visual experience of Miry’s List with connection, power, and soul with contributions that are visually stunning and inspired.
DAWN & SILVIO CHIANESE
Engineers and parents of 2 two sons, Dawn and Silvio, have supported Miry's List since 2017, being present in our Hive in many ways while beautifully involving their kids. Dawn's professional expertise is in environmental sustainability & Silvio is a rocket engineer, running missions into space for exploration and research. These two are walking the walk of a gorgeous vision of what a brighter future looks like, not only for our world but our communities.
BRIAN STEFAN
Brian Stefan is a therapist, consultant, trainer, and social worker specializing in grief therapy, suicide awareness, prevention, bereavement, and crisis support. He previously served as a civilian defense officer with the US Department of Defense and an analyst with the FBI-LAPD Joint Regional Intelligence Center-Regional Threat Assessment Center in Los Angeles. Since 2020, Brian has been a grief therapist with Therapy Heals private practice and San Gabriel Valley Grief Resource and Training Center, a nonprofit working with individuals and groups. Since 2015, Brian has been a member of the DidiHirsch Suicide Prevention Center as a shift supervisor, crisis counselor, follow-up counselor, trainer, Survivor of Suicide Attempt support group facilitator, and Suicide Response Team member. As the Wellbeing Coach for Miry’s List staff, he offers emotional support & practical tools for avoiding burnout and thriving as a frontline helper.
SUSAN OLSEN
Susan Olsen is an educator with decades of classroom experience. She is on the board of trustees at Wildwood School and a member of the English Department at Santa Monica College. She brings these superpowers into action to support Miry's List families as a SANAH English tutor, helping new arrivals learn English, gain confidence, and make friends as they get comfortable in their new country. Susan and her husband, Keith, have three sons. In addition to tutoring, she has been involved with Miry's List in many more ways since 2018: Being an ambassador for families, bringing her friends into the hive, sending housewarming gifts to families, writing welcome letters, and even hosting an event for her friends to learn more about our mission and families. Susan's mother, Myrna Olsen, inspired Susan's interest in helping refugees when her parents sponsored a Cambodian family in the 1970s. Susan carries on her mom's legacy of generosity, compassion, and openness.
newspaper beat reporter, magazine writer and editor, and sports journalist who covered endurance sports on five continents.
She loves small gestures that make a big difference, finding scrappy solutions to problems big and small, and parallel parking. Engaging with creative minds, hiking among big trees, and supporting other creative women are among her other favorite things to do. She is a founding member of TheLuupe, which connects brands with women photographers and content creators.
Christina has been photographing the Miry’s List, team, families, and milestone events since our first gathering, the Ana Huna Awards, at the Center for the Arts Eagle Rock in 2017.
ROXANA JULLAPAT, Friends & Family
CHRISTINA GANDOLFO Photographer
Christina Gandolfo creates colorful, narrative-driven imagery of people and animals. Her earliest photographs were of family cats and dogs in custom wardrobes, long before pets ruled the internet. Before becoming a professional photographer, she was a
As the head baker and owner of a beloved Los Angeles bakery, Roxana Jullapat knows the difference local, sustainable flour can make: brown rice flour lightens up a cake, rustic rye adds unexpected chewiness to a bagel, and ground toasted oats enrich doughnuts. Her bakery, Friends & Family, works with dedicated farmers and millers around the country to source and incorporate the eight mother grains in every sweet, bread, or salad on the menu. Roxana has invited Miry’s List into Friends & Family to host numerous supper clubs; her hospitality and welcoming have directly impacted the guests and organization.
9 6 4 , 5
Photo by Christina Gandolfo
It only takes a few seconds - glancing at a newspaper, watching a few minutes of the news, scrolling social media - to find a world with no shortage of despair, disconnection, and violence.
Current events can leave us feeling alonecompletely separate from our family, friends, and longtime and new neighbors alike.
At Miry’s List, we see endless opportunities to get to know each other and bridge the gap between new friends and neighbors one shared meal at a time, one reading lamp at a time, one tutoring session at a time, one fluffy blanket at a time, one backpack at a time.
Family to family, friend to friend, each of us has the power to turn around and become a welcoming support for new arrival families.
None of us are meant to be alone.
28,000
Since 2016, over housewarming gifts, valued at over $1.3 million, have been delivered to resettling refugee families through Miry’s List.
Want to join us? Join the Hive at miryslist.org.
THANK YOU: OUR PARTNERS
FOUNDATIONS
Born This Way Foundation
California Community Foundation
Charities Aid Foundation America
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Islamic Relief USA
James Irvine Foundation
Jewish Community Foundation
Jewish Federation of Greater Los
Angeles
KPMG
Lucky Seven Foundation
Maurice Amado Foundation
ProLiteracy
Stand Together
Synchrony Foundation
Together Rising
United Way California Capital Region
COMPANIES
Airbnb
All The Words, Inc.
Alltruists
Architected Solutions
Bombas
CPT Group
Dreamworks
Fragomen Worldwide
Friends & Family
Gilbane Building Company
HearthLA
IBM
Ingredient Studios
Kansha Creamery
Kindom
Leanna Lin Wonderland
Lemon Poppy Kitchen
Michael Stars
NBCUniversal
Netflix
Occidental Entertainment Group
Participant
RSF Social Finance
SuperCopy
Zweet Cafe
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Afghan Refugee Relief
Center Theater Group
Every Step Home
First Congregational Church of Los
Angeles
Girl Scout Troop 70341
Hello Neighbor
Hilda Solis
Homes For Refugees USA
International Institute of LA
Interwoven Church
Knots of Love Knit & Crochet Group
Orange County Jewish Coalition for Refugees
PARS Equality Center
Program for Torture Victims LA
Project Skincare
ProjectQ
Refugee Childrens Center
Second Families
Skirball Center
Temple Beth Hillel
The Music Center
The Wallis
Twentieth Century Womens Club of Eagle Rock
Welcome
Blanket
SCHOOLS
Brentwood School
Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy
Kennedy School of Billerica, MA
Live Oak School
Marlborough School
New Horizon School Pasadena
Polytechnic School
NAMED FUNDS
Bentz Sharing Fund
Donald & Ana Glunts Living Trust
Dum Family Charitable Fund
Freeland Giving Fund
Hal & Kathleen Gershman Family
Foundation
John & Loan Kim Charitable Gift Fund
Lainoff Family Foundation
Leshgold Family Foundation
Lilly & Whitehill Giving Fund
Lionel & Debra D'Luna Family Foundation
Marweld Family Charitable Fund
McPherson Charitable Fund
Meyer & Norma Ragir Foundation
Milton & Ruth Berman Family Foundation
Muller Family Foundation
O'Conner Family Foundation
Snyder White Oaks of Delaware Foundation
Zolla Family Foundation
IN-KIND PARTNERS
Baby2Baby Byte
Dr. Bronners
Ecoset
In-Kind Boxes
LorealParis
Marvel
New Haven Moving Supplies Co.
Northstar Moving Company
Pads4Refugees
Purple Bedding
Slumberkins
Thanks to our incredible network, our families in need are receiving lifechanging support. Partners include:
Airbnb provides laptops for learning English and career development.
Baby2Baby provides highquality baby and childcare supplies, including diapers, toiletries, car seats, cribs, clothing, and formula.
Dr. Bronners, LorealParis, Byte, and Pads4Refugees provide top-of-the-line toiletries, dental care, and hygiene supplies.
Slumberkins provides educational, emotional learning products to comfort kids and encourage emotional resilience.
Ecoset provides brand-new, seasonal household items, including furniture, high-end kitchen appliances, and supplies.
Purple Bedding provides soft, breathable, lasting bed sheets for each family to sleep well and enjoy a simple luxury.
Marvel provides graphic novels and learning materials to encourage literacy and imagination for English learners.
Northstar Moving Company and New Haven Moving Supplies Co provide shipping materials to ensure supplies arrive to families safely and in perfect condition.
The impact of Miry's List would not be possible without the invaluable contributions of our community of helpers. These collaborations and friendships are essential for mission delivery.
• Our dream team staff of passionate leaders, most of whom are program graduates
• Our visionary board of directors, who steer us and keep us mission-focused
• Our corporate sponsors, for demonstrating commitment and action towards social responsibility and community impact
• Our volunteers who give their time and talent
• Our foundation and institutional partners who give us the ability to develop our leadership and grow sustainably
• Our national coalition partners who share our vision and expand our collective power and toolset
• And YOU
The Isaquzai Family, new residents of Fairfax, Virginia, arrived in October 2021 from Afghanistan as part of the U.S. military evacuation of Afghan allies. They have three children: two boys, ages 6 and 2, and a 1-year-old baby girl born two weeks after the family’s arrival. In Afghanistan, Sayed worked in Data Management, and Kawsar was a Project Advisor with the U.S. Embassy. They are very happy in their new community in Fairfax and proud to be American. Kawsar and Sayed love cooking together. They make traditional Afghan food from recipes handed down to them by their parents and grandparents.
Photo by Giina Danals
THE GREAT EQUALIZER: FOOD
ISAQZAI FAMILY’S
QABLI PULAO
Shared by Sayed and Kawsar Isaqzai, new Americans from Afghanistan in Fairfax, Virginia.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups rice, soaked overnight
1.5 lb lamb
350 grams of julienned carrots
250 grams raisins
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2-4 tbs garam masala
¼ cup sesame oil or ghee
2 sliced onions
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup shelled pistachio
Salt to taste
Water as needed
Total Time: 50 Minutes
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil or ghee in a large saucepan, dutch oven, or pressure cooker over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown.
Add the lamb pieces, salt, cumin seeds, and garam masala. Fry the lamb with the onions in the seasonings until browned. Add enough water to cover the meat. Cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the meat is tender.
Add the soaked and drained rice to the meat and onions. Add enough water to cook the rice (about 1.5 times the volume of rice). Cook on medium heat until the rice is done and the water is absorbed (about 15-20 minutes).
While the rice is cooking, heat a pan with a bit of oil or ghee to start your garnishes.
Fry the almonds and pistachios until golden and set aside. In the same pan, fry the julienned carrots until soft. Add the raisins and fry for another minute or until they puff up.
Once the rice is cooked, transfer it to a serving dish. Arrange the cooked meat over the rice. Sprinkle the fried almonds, pistachios, carrots, and raisins on top.
Serve hot.
“After I left my job with UNHCR back home, my dream was to continue helping people, especially refugees. Miry’s List was that inspiration for me, helping my dream come true by giving me a chance to help families. I’ve been a team member since 2017.”
Director of Family Services and mom to 3 boys who have grown up with Miry’s List
-Huda Abu Gharbih,