Eva Wisnik's Fundraiser for Afghan Refugees
My HIAS Fundraiser for Afghan Refugees
Special Thanks To
My HIAS Fundraiser for Afghan Refugees
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I still remember my first Thanksgiving in the U.S. clearly: I was in first grade and my family had arrived 8 months earlier as refugees thrown out of Poland for being Jewish.
That November, I came home from school and announced that now that we lived in America, we had to have turkey. My parents had never heard of turkey (which is indigenous to North America) so I drew a picture of a big chicken. We have had turkey and celebrated Thanksgiving that year and every year since.
We had no relatives in America. HIAS, an organization that has been resettling refugees since 1881, paid for our 6-week stay in the Embassy Hotel on West 71st Street and gave us a daily food allowance of $35 for a family of five. I reached out to HIAS last week to find out what they were doing to help Afghan refugees and how I could help.
The Program Officer I spoke to said that right now 200 refugees have been resettled from military bases in the NY area with hundreds more arriving through February. The biggest issue they’re having is that the government-funded SNAP (food stamps) are taking 3-4 weeks to be approved because social services are unfamiliar with these refugees' benefits. This means they are forced to spend money allotted for their housing to eat.
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving and enter the holiday season, I ask you to consider donating to a fund that will provide money for these refugees to buy food. Can you imagine a family being hungry on Thanksgiving? Even a $10 donation is deeply appreciated.
About HIAS
The number of forcibly displaced people around the world has doubled in the last 10 years — reaching a new record-breaking high of 120 million people.
Drawing on our Jewish values and history, for more than a century HIAS has been there for refugees when and where they need help most. Now, in more than 20 countries around the world, we provide vital services to refugees and asylum seekers and advocate for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives.
There have never been more people seeking safety and so few places willing to protect and welcome them. Refugees deserve a world in which they find welcome, safety, and opportunity. With your support, we can create it.
Refugees Making a Difference. Watch more from HIAS.
