Many, but not all, of these volunteers were affiliated with local churches. One feature they have are “free stores”, which are rooms in some churches where refugees can make appointments to shop from a mix of new and used clothing and household items. This gives them some dignity and reduces waste.
Chicago is a city of immigrants, something that people here are really proud of. Unlike in some large cities, we don’t have a rigid divide between transplants and locals. If you can put up with the winter, you belong here. We take in recent college graduates arriving for new jobs, gay teenagers fleeing hateful communities, and people from other countries coming here for the same things that brought many of our ancestors here.
This refugee influx is different. It is fueled by political interests in Texas and Florida, with people being put on busses and dropped off at police stations. Both states receive federal funding for border defense and refugee resettlement, and I don’t see them sharing with Chicago. Both states have networks of non-profit organizations with expertise in dealing with these populations. Chicago has a bunch of volunteers keeping sleeping bags in the trunks of their cars to drop off at police stations whenever they drive past.
My volunteer activities have been limited. I’ve purchased bundles of new underwear, worked a few shifts at one of the free stores, and dropped off items collected at my church. It’s a drop in the bucket, I know.
But I also know this: people of goodwill, working together, can accomplish great things. I see that with Refugee Community Connection.
