With cold weather rolling in, the WAGRO Foundation partnered with Immigrant Refugee Center Northwest Saturday to collect winter coat donations for children of refugee families from Afghanistan.
In a drive-thru event at the Lynnwood Food Bank, more than 50 new and like-new coats were donated for kids between the ages of 2 and 12. The coats will be donated to refugee children who came to the U.S. with their families to escape Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
Last month, Gov. Jay Inslee said Washington state is expected to welcome 1,700 Afghan refugees in coming months. Currently, there are 35 Afghan refugee families in South Snohomish County, according to Immigrant Refugee Center Northwest Executive Director Van Kuno.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the Lynnwood Food Bank has seen a drastic increase in the need for services. In addition to providing meals, the food bank has partnered with other organizations to provide COVID-19 testing and emergency dental services. Now, Director Alissa Jones said they are providing refugee families with foods they are used to eating.
“We’re really working to try to increase the amount of culturally appropriate food that we have available,” she said.
Additionally, Jones said future donation events supporting Afghan refugees may be held in the future.
–By Cody Sexton
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