There are about 58,000 Afghan refugee families waiting to be sponsored by churches and individuals in America. About 6500 are waiting in Ft. Pickett, VA and they would love a visit by Christians how can help welcome them to America and help in practical ways.
Groups of Christians are going up there EACH WEEK to show love to these new “neighbors” of ours. Here is their normal itinerary. It is an all-day, 12 -hour event from Hampton Roads!
Visit to Ft. Pickett
They have to do a background check on you ( free) and get a letter from your church verifying your membership. Email to Jim Southerland to get the free background check. This takes 1-3 days.
They leave at 7:00 AM, drive to Ft. Pickett with an ETA of 10:00 AM, go through short orientation at the CGs Quarters, split into teams to:
a) support the ESL effort with women and children,
b) help Afghan women learn how to sew,
c) play chess and converse in English with the men and
d) conduct an art class for adults.
They leave Ft. Pickett around 4:00 PM to be home by 8:00 PM with a stop for dinner.
Lunch and dinner are not provided by you can bring food or get lunch at Hardy’s and dinner at a restaurant on the way home.
Dress modestly, especially women. Headscarves are encouraged for women. You must be 18 or over to visit.
Here is a great video intro to Afghan culture.
Christmas Gifts for the Refugees
They need a lot of things. They could only bring a couple of suitcases with them on the plane.
Donations and Distribution Assistance: Coordinated through Team Rubicon (TR)
All requests to support material donations (receiving, sorting, and distribution) must be submitted to Team Rubicon. TR will track volunteers each day for accountability and assign tasks based on need and opportunity. Contact TR’s Fort Pickett Team at 434-264-7323 or resettlement.volunteer@gmail.com to start this process.
