Large interfaith and community effort: Back-to-School Backpack Drive and Distribution
In less than one week in August 2022, seven community and interfaith groups donated backpacks and supplies to CAIR Oklahoma for 186 Afghan children enrolled in Putnam City Schools. This effort included 17 volunteers from CAIR and Tinker Impact from Tinker Air Force Base who spent 78 hours picking up supplies, assembling them, and delivering filled backpacks to staff and volunteers from The Spero Project. We collected and distributed an additional 40 filled backpacks to Afghan students in other schools during the month of August.
This partnership and its impact on the lives of over 200 Afghan youth is just one example of how CAIR Oklahoma builds relationships in the community to accomplish more than we can do on our own – we have created a large interfaith network that is eager to provide support financially, through in-kind donations, and in volunteer service.
If you would like to support Afghan neighbors and have a kernel of an idea, a few dedicated people, and some funding, CAIR Oklahoma can help you reach your goals! We can help you create a plan, recruit and coordinate volunteers, and organize with other community and interfaith partners to build capacity beyond what you can do alone. Email Jen Hund (jhund@cair.com) to learn more.