Last week a picture went viral that showed the lifeless body of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach. This alerted the world to a crisis that has been building for some time as over a million people have sought asylum in Europe from war torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan, and many others (for a breakdown of where the refugees hail from see here). This is a complex situation that includes struggling economies, threat of terrorism, and issues of cultural dilution. While there are differing opinions of what should be done; everyone agrees that something must be done. Our president has just opened the door to take additional refugees into the United States in the coming year, but for many this just isn’t soon enough. Something must be done NOW!
In response to this, we are opening up the opportunity to help Europe deal with the immediate needs of taking care of one million people. We have chosen to partner with a group in Greece that is at the front lines of this crisis. They are asking that we send the following items:
We will collect these items at the church the next two weeks and then send the package over to Greece at the end of this month. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Wheeler: wheeler.amyruth@gmail.com.