The Whatcom Refugee Project consists of a group of volunteers and interested individuals from different faith communities, nonprofits and other organizations who are striving to answer the question:  Can Whatcom County become a community which truly welcomes the stranger, not just with words but through tangible deeds of love, generosity and humility?  

Update from Thursday, September 23:

It’s Official!

Since we began exploring the possibility of opening an office for refugee resettlement in Whatcom County last winter, we have been aiming at one major hurdle in particular:  Gaining approval from the U.S State Department to begin local resettlement.  With very few exceptions, resettlement can only happen within a 100-mile radius of a site approved by the federal government—thus, the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) has the final say in whether or not an office will open in a particular community.

Based on the application we submitted to PRM profiling Whatcom County and the level of community support we’ve already seen for this project, we are thrilled to report that official approval was granted in mid-September, making us one of the first new proposed World Relief sites to gain recognition!  Read more about what this means by opening our newsletter with the button below.

Join our Team!

Even as we’ve begun receiving our first families, World Relief in Whatcom County is currently hiring a Church and Community Mobilizer. If you have a passion for walking alongside displaced people and equipping others to do the same, we’d love to hear from you. Find job description and application info by clicking one of the link below:

Church and Community Mobilizer: https://recruiting.ultipro.com/WOR1016/JobBoard/a4c67858-3f4d-610a-f531-c898bc798638/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=762160dc-cd04-4600-9078-123ac400fbf9

DONATE

While we are still waiting to have our own World Relief website, you can *give now* via World Relief Seattle, by designating your funds for Whatcom County.  Here's how... 

GIVE ONLINE

1. Choose whether you want to

• GIVE ONCE or

• GIVE MONTHLY

2. Enter the amount you would like to contribute

3. IMPORTANT - Choose “2. Whatcom County Refugee Resettlement” from the drop-down box

4. Fill in your credit card or e-check info and click "Process"

GIVE BY CHECK

Checks for Whatcom County refugee resettlement can be sent to

World Relief Seattle
23835 Pacific Hwy S Suite 100
Kent, WA 98032

Make the check out to "World Relief" and be sure to put "Whatcom County refugee resettlement" in the memo line.

WHY DONATE?

Refugee resettlement agencies operate on a mix of government funds, grants and private donations.  The government funds and grants often cover the most basic needs of refugees upon being resettled—the first few months’ worth of expenses, essentially—but private donors are essential to an agency that seeks to provide holistic care.  Privately raised funds enable agencies to expand and strengthen the services they provide beyond the basics to walking alongside refugees as they integrate and flourish in their new community.

NEW! Partnership with Habitat for Humanity

Furniture & Home Goods

You can support refugees by donating furniture and home goods to the Habitat Store!

Through this partnership, World Relief receives the value of your donations in store credit, giving refugee households the opportunity to shop for their own furniture when they need it. Donors must specify that their donations are on behalf of World Relief.​ Donation receipts are issued by Habitat for Humanity.

Ways to donate:

  • Drop off at the donation dock behind the Habitat Store, 1825 Cornwall Avenue, Bellingham

    • Mondays 9 – 4:30 | Tuesday – Friday 9 – 5:30 | Saturday 10 – 4:30

  • Schedule a free pick-up (7-10 days out) by

  • Please note: Habitat Store employees are not permitted to enter homes but are happy to load from a driveway, carport, or porch. Please call the Habitat Store with any questions.

Guidelines:

All donations to the Habitat Store are subject to staff approval to ensure that every item is sellable, clean, and in working order. For a full list of accepted items, as well as additional information regarding mattress and box spring donations, visit the Habitat Store website at

https://shop.hfhwhatcom.org/donation-guidelines/

If you would prefer to donate furniture directly to World Relief and are able to transport it, please send an email to [whatcomrefugees@bellinghamcov.org] with a description and picture of the item. Because we are unable to store furniture at this time, we will let you know whether we have immediate need of the item and arrange a time/location to receive it. Thank you so much for your understanding!

IMMEDIATE NEEDS

We have a variety of tangible needs as we begin the work of resettlement in Whatcom County. Here are a few of the most pressing categories.

NEXT STEPS

Click one of the images below to take the next step by filling out our housing survey if you have available housing, advocating for refugees by speaking up to your elected officials, and the important step of listening and learning from refugees and those who have worked with refugees.

Refugee Roundtable WEBINARS

Toward Becoming a Welcoming Community

As we explore the idea of becoming a community that receives refugees, we are excited to learn ways that Whatcom County can welcome and receive people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.  An important initial step is simply to listen humbly to others who have “been there.”

Whatcom Refugee Roundtables are intended to be a series of short (1 hour) interactive webinars which will give us the ability to hear the voices of former refugees and asylees as well as those who have devoted their lives to working with these populations.  Please join us for these conversations throughout the summer and fall of 2021, and feel free to invite your friends, colleagues and family members!

 

PREVIOUS WEBINARS

Session #4: Cultural Humility and Trauma-Informed Care

We all come with different backgrounds and experiences that shape how well we are able to support and work with others. Lack of awareness can lead us to unwittingly do harm to those we mean to help. Learn from two experts how to interact in healing ways with our diverse neighbors-both those resettling from other countries, and the people from our own community whom we will be working alongside in this effort.  Our panelists shared important insights to help us truly connect with those who are different from us and minimize further harm to those who have faced trauma.

 

Session #3: From Kabul to Bellingham?

When will Afghan refugees be arriving to Whatcom County, and how can we help?  This question has been at the heart of many emails and phone calls we’ve received over the past couple of weeks.  While the answers are still somewhat unclear, we would like to update you on the progress of our refugee project and give you the chance to hear directly from an Afghan who immigrated to the U.S. several years ago.  Join us as we hear his story, and learn of ways we can prepare as individuals and a community to welcome these potential new neighbors to our community. 

 

Session #2: The Syrian Crisis

During our second Refugee Roundtable webinar we will had the opportunity to hear from two panelists who have spent significant time in the region working directly with Syrian refugees.  Though the great majority of these refugees will never be resettled in the United States, hearing the stories of what they have gone through –as well as what others are doing to help—will give us a greater awareness of the factors driving the global refugee crisis, and help us begin to understand both the challenges that resettled refugees face, along with the remarkable resilience so many of them possess.

Click here to view a list of books and podcasts recommended in the chat by panelists and attendees.

 

Session#1: An Insider’s Perspective on Refugee/Asylee Resettlement

Our first webinar—“An Insider’s Perspective on Refugee/Asylee Resettlement”—was well-attended, with over 50 devices connected for an hour-long session last week.  Our panelists were two individuals who have experienced refugee resettlement from “the inside” as refugees/asylum seekers themselves.  Zoom recording below. (Unfortunately the first few minutes of the call were not recorded—apologies for the inconvenience)

Recommended Resource List

Please click the image or button below to view a list of recommended children’s books, adult books, and podcasts.

 
 

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