Provide Afghan Refugees Culturally Specific Food

To help Afghan refugee families get nutritious and culturally specific food while they are living in temporary housing.

 

Background

Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the U.S has evacuated more than 75,000 Afghans. Jumping from one military base to another, more than 50,000 refugees have been placed into local communities across the U.S. According to the Washington Post, scores of Afghan evacuees in the Washington Metro area have been waiting inside cramped hotel rooms as overwhelmed resettlement groups struggle to find affordable permanent homes. Often, there is only one room dedicated to entire families. The sleeping arrangements are abysmal as parents sleep on the floor while their children share one bed.

 

The lack of available and affordable housing for the evacuees is particularly urgent in Maryland, and may soon grow worse as federal officials plan to send more evacuees to the area. In addition to housing, clothing, and other essentials, these families are in need of nutritious and culturally specific food. This is where UP 2 US comes in…

 

Our Goal

The goal of this fundraiser is to provide Afghan refugee families with a regular supply of halal meat and Afghan bread (naan) while they are in temporary housing. A culturally responsive food strategy will help to improve the quality of life for these families. Specifically, the Foundation hopes to provide the necessary food items to create authentic Afghani food, so that these families may find some familiar comfort in an otherwise unfamiliar, stressful, and challenging time.

 

Let us all step up and welcome these families with more than just words of encouragement, and come together as a community to provide what they need.

 

With your support, Up 2 Us Foundation hopes to provide urgent support in the form of nutritious and culturally appropriate food that they are currently not getting anywhere else.

 

Why Culturally Appropriate Food Matters

“When people are unable to access food that they know how to prepare, they can be deterred from seeking food assistance they need” (Community Food Rescue, Montgomery County).

 

Up 2 Us Foundation always makes an effort to reduce inequities in food access and provide culturally relevant food for the diverse population we serve. Food ties together cultures, and many refugees can lose these connections to their ancestral foods when they relocate. Below are some key benefits of providing culturally specific food for families living in food insecure households, as outlined in many studies.

 

Benefits of Providing Culturally Relevant Food For Families in Need:

 

Sponsor a Family, Adult, or Child Today

Sponsor a Refugee Family for 3 months for $648

Sponsor a Refugee for 3 months for $216

Sponsor a Refugee Child for 3 months for $108

 

Your donation makes a difference, no matter the amount!

 

More On UP 2 US FOUNDATION!

Up 2 Us Foundation is a nonprofit organization striving to improve quality of life, first by providing dependable access to nutritious food to families in need. The Foundation is based in Montgomery County and has a resource center and food pantry located in Wheaton, Maryland.

 

Every year, Up 2 Us Foundation distributes thousands of pounds of fresh produce and other nutritious food items to those in need throughout Maryland and Washington DC through 3 primary programs; “Groceries Supporting Educational Success” (GSES), “Groceries 2 Go” (pickup & delivery), and “Groceries 2 Go Events” (drive-thru distribution). 98% of our program's participants are people of color.

 

Up 2 Us Foundation is a public charity per Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our EIN is 83-4025371.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT UP 2 US FOUNDATION