Donation ideas to support refugee families

• Donate to the HIAS Welcome Campaign
• Gift cards (Target, Walmart, Aldi, Jewel). Gift cards offer us the flexibility to meet the needs of our clients. 
• Supply needed household items to create a warm and welcoming home. See the item list here.
• Check out our Amazon wish list!
• Item Drive Ideas –
  • Cleaning Kit (packed in laundry basket)
    • Large Laundry basket (i.e.: here or here)
    • Laundry detergent
    • All-purpose spray
    • Sponges
  • Kitchen Kit (packed in stock pot)
    • Kitchen towels and potholders (i.e.: here)
    • Stock pot (i.e.: here)
    • Measuring cups/spoons

• • Hygiene Kit (packed in plastic bag)
    • Toothbrush set of 2 or 4
    • Toothpaste
    • Deodorant
    • Soap bars or liquid body wash
    • Shampoo
• Receipts for in-kind donations will be emailed out as needed.

Learn more about how you can help via the links below:

Co-Sponsorship

Individual Volunteering

Please email Fatima Rasoul, Community Engagement Specialist, or call 847.745.5431 to discuss the option you are choosing and to coordinate delivery of items.

Partnership With Community

When refugees first arrive in Chicago, often with nothing more than a single suitcase, they are overwhelmed by a new language, new culture, and new environment. Together, with the support of co-sponsors, volunteers and donors, we can help them understand and adjust to all that is around them and provide critical financial and social-emotional services.

HIAS Services & Supports

Count on us to provide training, where appropriate, as well as consultation on best practices. Our services and supports include: securing housing, applying for public benefits, school enrollment, employment services, cultural orientation, referral to English language classes and setting up health screenings.

Learn more about how you can help via the links below:

Co-Sponsorship

Individual Volunteering

Donation Drive Ideas

Welcome Campaign

JCFS Serenity Shabbat Resources

Red Cards/Tarjetas Rojas

We asked HIAS colleagues (Jessica Schaffer, Former HIAS Director; Elana Boiskin, Former Community Engagement Specialist; Wahedullah Niazi, Case Worker) to tell us more about the meaningful ways in which the community has aided refugees and just how important it is for their well-being. Now is the time to act in support of refugees by co-sponsoring, volunteering or donating today. 

For more information
Contact Fatima Rasoul, Community Engagement Specialist, at 847.745.5431.

Help newcomers adjust to a new language, culture and environment by providing critical support.  Volunteering positively impacts newcomers and you!

• Mentor with regular visits
• Create a welcoming home
• Drive to medical and other appointments
• Raise funds for the HIAS Welcome Campaign

Opportunities:

Mentor:

Welcome a newcomer family or individual by visiting with them for at least six months and introducing them to the community and supporting their self-sufficiency. Assist with activities such as simple, conversational English, public transport, grocery shopping, laundry, financial literacy, technology and accessing community resources.  Most visits (but not all) take place in person in a refugee’s home. Apartments are typically in far north Chicago, e.g., Rogers Park. Visitation times vary - daytime or evening – and are flexible according to schedules and the family’s preferences. Visits can be rotated amongst the volunteer group.

Apartment Setup Helper:

Create a warm and welcoming home for an individual or family by setting up household items, furniture and groceries in the apartment before their arrival. Large furniture provided by HIAS; smaller household items can be gathered by the volunteer (lists provided), or by HIAS. This is an in-person volunteer opportunity.

Driver:

Drive newcomers from their homes to medical, social security and other appointments, as needed. They must be picked up from home and returned home.

Appointments are typically in the north side of Chicago and will be during the day. The amount of time involved will vary depending on the appointment type and location. This is an in-person volunteer opportunity.

Fundraiser:

Raise any amount for the HIAS Welcome Campaign. Dollars raised will be used for direct financial assistance as well as to support program activities and service coordination.  This includes:

• Rent and utility assistance
• Transportation assistance
• Other basic needs assistance, including clothing and food
• Translation services
• Culturally appropriate case management services to support acclimation and integration

Interested in being a co-sponsor?

Please learn more about our co-sponsor program here. Co-sponsorship offers the most comprehensive support to a family. A team of volunteers is matched with a newcomer family pre-arrival to ensure that the family has access to the necessary funds, a warm and welcoming home and to a community to welcome them, for a successful transition.

Interested in doing a donation drive?  Please find ideas here to provide refugees with essential items.

Interested in Volunteering?
Contact Fatima Rasoul, Community Engagement Specialist, at 847.745.5431.

Advocate:

• Join HIAS National’s petition calling on the Department of Homeland Security to protect the health, safety and human rights of people seeking asylum in the United States. Sign the petition here.

• Take part in the Golden Door Coalition’s Virtual Advocacy Day on Tuesday, April 28. The Golden Door Coalition is an Illinois-based advocacy group whose members include HIAS Immigration & Citizenship, resettlement agencies, mutual aid organizations and refugee social services in Illinois.  
  • Find the Virtual Advocacy Day Toolkit here.

Volunteer Virtually:

• Create a video message for unaccompanied migrant youth in Chicago-area detention centers. Videos should:
  • Acknowledge the difficulty of this moment and connect it to stories/lessons about when faithful people have faced adversity and have prevailed.  
  • Affirm their innate strength and resilience and express confidence that we will get through this.  It will not last forever.
  • Encourage them to be leaders of the faith: to model kindness, compassion, and faithfulness as a support to others inside the facility.
    • Cards and letters are also welcome.
  • If interested, contact Rev. Sara Wohlleb, Director of the Unaccompanied Children’s Interfaith Ministry, a Program of the Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants: swohlleb@icdichicago.org.

• Are you a fluent Spanish speaker? Support HIAS National’s Border Response Team in Juarez, Mexico by facilitating remote intake interviews for asylum seekers. More information and application here.

Explore Other Volunteer Opportunities: Take Our Survey!

We continue to explore other avenues for supporting the local refugee community during this time. Please complete this survey to indicate what other opportunities you or your community would be interested in joining.

Want to support local refugee families with rent payments or other emergency expenses? Consider making a donation to any of the local resettlement or mutual aid organizations working on the front lines. The Illinois Refugee Resettlement Program's FY19 Annual Report includes a list of state-funded agencies.