Mayflower Congregational Church: Grant for distributing diapers to the Afghan community
In June 2023, over 110 Afghan babies, 40 pregnant mothers, and 15 older children experiencing nighttime accidents received diapers, wipes, and pull-ups through a partnership between Mayflower Congregational Church and CAIR Oklahoma with additional support by Wesley Church OKC and The Church of the Servant. This partnership and its impact on the lives of over one hundred Afghan Oklahomans is just one example of how CAIR Oklahoma builds relationships in the community to accomplish more than we can do on our own – a relationship with one interfaith partner inspired additional interfaith donors to contribute money as well as volunteers to support some of the youngest and most vulnerable neighbors.
In the spring, members of Mayflower Congregational Church had reached out to CAIR Oklahoma to brainstorm a project we could tackle together if they received grant funding from a national foundation. They applied for a Refugee Resettlement Booster Grant from United Church of Christ Global H.O.P.E. and received $5000 to distribute diapers and wipes, as well as educational materials on where to obtain free/low-cost diapers to Afghan families living in the OKC metro area! We immediately contacted 20 interfaith partners and raised additional funds to meet some of our stretch goals (diapers and wipes for 40 expectant moms, and pull-ups for 15 older children).
Mayflower Congregational Church provided a space for storing diapers, wipes, and pull-ups for a few weeks and opened their doors to 65 volunteers from various interfaith groups.
Volunteers unboxed and organized supplies.
More volunteers created an assembly line to fill trash bags – one for each baby or child.
And even more volunteers (4 more groups and two individuals) gathered to load, transport, and unload bags of diapers to The Spero Project, which distributed the diapers to individual families. The Spero project is a local nonprofit that serves the refugee community and is committed to welcoming new neighbors by connecting them with the relationships, resources and learning opportunities that make Oklahoma City a place of belonging.
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.