Domestic (US) Service Opportunities

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Description: Given the tragic events that occurred in Afghanistan this summer, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children were forced to flee their homes, adding to the already 82.4 million people forcibly displaced worldwide. With the United States, and specifically, the DMV area, expected to receive thousands of new arrivals in the coming weeks and months, UMR wanted to be at the forefront of assistance to welcome newcomers to the area with warmth and hospitality!

We will be partnering with a local nonprofit that directly assists the beneficiaries: Homes Not Borders, an organization whose mission is to provide the refugee, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) and asylum-seeking population of the D.C. area with what they need to thrive and feel at home in the United States. We also partner with local nonprofit, Immigrant and Refugee Outreach Center and are a member of the interfaith coalition, NOVA Friends of Refugees.

Volunteers will be asked to assist with various components of resettlement and initial support for new arrivals, including but not limited to the many newly resettled Afghans, under the various classifications for US entrants. Some of the assistance we will be asking for includes, but is not limited to:

• Moving in furniture and household items
• Picking up and transporting furniture
• Assembling furniture and setting up various rooms such as the kitchen, living room, dining room, etc.
• Organizing warehouse in-kind donations and household items
• Delivering groceries or pre-made meals to families in the area

Dates & Locations: We fully expect to continue to provide these group volunteer opportunities on an ongoing basis for months, possibly years to come. If you are interested, please sign up through our form below so we can reach out to you regarding specific group volunteer dates that we have arranged.

We have our regularly occurring group volunteer date on the 4th and 5th Saturday of every month. We also hope to be able to sign up our group for some weekday opportunities as well.

Most of our home set ups and assistance will occur in the Landover, MD and Riverdale, MD areas. That being said, assistance is needed all around the DMV so our opportunities will not be limited to Maryland. Unfortunately, we cannot provide transportation to the volunteer sites.

# of Volunteers Requesting Per Session: For each of our group volunteer sessions, we will be looking to bring 6 – 12 volunteers depending on the tasks we will be assisting with that day. 

The specific tasks we will be assisting with as well as the exact number of volunteers needed per session will be communicated to volunteers who have expressed interest in this opportunity. A private sign up form will be included in those communications for specific group volunteer sessions. 

Sign Up: To get involved with this volunteer opportunity and receive updates about future sessions, please submit the sign-up form here. There are no strict requirements for this opportunity which is open to all ages and includes tasks that do not require heavy lifting. The only things we ask of volunteers other than physical attendance are enthusiasm, smiles, and a positive attitude!

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we will ask that all volunteers attending be fully vaccinated, and regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask during the event unless outdoors or eating/drinking. 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our Volunteer Management Coordinator.