LHI Is There When the Headlines Have Moved On

by Brigid Rowlings, LHI Communications Director

LHI sends shipments of humanitarian aid from our warehouse in Utah to Bangladesh every year.

Have you noticed that Gaza, which is entering its fourth month of bombardment, or Ukraine, which is approaching its two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, are no longer as prominent in the news as they once were? Why? Even when humanitarian crises remain, the news cycle moves on.

This is one of the challenging aspects of humanitarian work. Media focus on events like the war in Ukraine, the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza catch our collective attention and prompt us to look for ways to help. But, when the news moves on, often, so do the donations to organizations like LHI. 

 LHI founder and director Hayley Smith visited a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh in 2017.

Journalist Femi Oke recently spoke about this challenge on the NPR news show Here and Now. Her interviews with Rohingya refugees who’d lived in Bangladesh for 30 years revealed the fear of many long-term refugees: the world is forgetting about them. For people who depend almost entirely on humanitarian aid organizations and their donors for necessities like food, water, clothing and shelter, this thought is scary. But, with the global population of long-term refugees rising, the need for humanitarian assistance that leads to self-sufficiency is greater than ever.

While LHI is always poised to meet urgent needs, we have and continue to expand programs that facilitate increased stability and self-sufficiency for refugees along each stage of the refugee journey. These programs include: 

Women at the LHI Community Center in Serres, Greece learn to cut hair. This is a skill the women can use to support themselves and their families when their asylum cases are processed and they are resettled in a new country.

Workforce training and income opportunities

From the language classes and barber trainings that take place at our community center in Serres, Greece to the food-packaging business and aesthetician training happening at the LHI Shelter in Lviv, Ukraine, LHI facilitates programs that prepare refugees for employment in the communities they live in or will resettle in. Our livestock program gives milk goats to Syrian refugees in Jordan who are then able to support their families from the sale of milk and milk products. And, we have a new community center in Lviv, Ukraine that offers an entrepreneurial accelerator program to internally displaced women, most of whom are single mothers because their husbands have been deployed or they’ve been widowed by the war.

Teams of mobile psychologists visit de-occupied villages in Ukraine and lead group therapy sessions for children and adults.

Social-emotional supports

In our programs in Greece, Moldova, and Ukraine, teams provide social emotional support such as sessions with psychologists, yoga classes, and art therapy for people who have experienced the trauma of leaving home behind for an uncertain future. In emergency situations like the earthquakes that hit Turkey in February 2023 and the ongoing crisis in Gaza, we’ve provided mobile psychological support for survivors and aid workers. These programs help refugees begin to heal and have hope for the future.

LHI’s Welcome Program volunteers add special touches to the apartments they set up for refugee families resettling in Utah.

Community Integration

Our Welcome Program alleviates the strain that refugees resettled in Utah feel by providing all of the items on the US resettlement agency’s checklist for homes for new arrivals. This means that refugee families will not have to buy them with the small stipend they receive. But the LHI Welcome team doesn’t just stop at the basic requirements! Our volunteers make up beds with handmade quilts and blankets, bring school supplies, clothing and toys for children, and always leave warm messages of love, support and welcome for families. 

While LHI remains ready to help in emergency situations, helping refugees achieve self-sufficiency and “the good life” is one of LHI’s main priorities. We depend on the support of LHI2G, our team of recurring donors, for a reliable source of funding to keep these programs going. Consider joining the team! No recurring monthly donation is too small. Plus, you will get access to a special behind-the-scenes newsletter exclusively for LHI2G members. Visit our LHI2G page to learn more!

LHI Humanitarian Aid Warehouse Volunteer Spotlight: Nikita

by Nikita Posvolskii , LHI Humanitarian Warehouse Volunteer

LHI Humanitarian Aid Warehouse volunteer Nikita helps to translate box labels into Ukranian.

LHI works because of people like our LHI Humanitarian Aid Warehouse volunteer Nikita. Nikita is an exchange college student from Russia. He shared this essay explaining his interest in helping LHI’s humanitarian aid efforts, especially those in Ukraine. 

My name is Nikita. Two years ago I was a Russian student getting my undergraduate degree at a university in Moscow. My peers and I loved our country and planned to pursue our careers there. Although we clearly saw our current government's flaws, we believed that we could influence them to change the country we love for the better. Our faith began to weaken after the Russian government started expelling students from their universities for their beliefs and statements that didn’t align with those of the government.

The situation for idealistic students like me became even worse the day Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Saying anything against the war in Ukraine can get you 15 years of imprisonment for “discrediting the Armed Forces of Russia.” You can’t even call the war in Ukraine “the war in Ukraine” without being at risk because its official name in Russia is “special military operation.” If you name it “the war” you can get the same 15 years of jail time. In fact, in the first two months after Russia started the war, more than 15,000 Russians were detained for their connection with anti-war rhetoric and protests. This placed fear in Russian citizens, coercing them into silence for the sake of their lives and the lives of their loved ones. At the same time, it is a horrible feeling to sit and maintain silence when your own country invaded Ukrainian territory and occupied an independent country. It is hard to stay silent when you are against a war that has resulted in the death and displacement of ordinary Ukrainians. 

My feelings of helplessness eased in August 2022 when I came to the U.S. as an exchange student. It’s been amazing to study at a university where students are not afraid to talk about what they really think and believe in. I quickly realized that in the U.S., I could help Ukrainian refugees both in my host community in Utah and in Ukraine itself.

Nikita helps gather materials to set up an apartment for a refugee family resettling in Utah.

My search for the opportunity to help Ukrainians whose lives have been impacted by the Russian invasion led me to the LHI Humanitarian Aid Warehouse in American Fork, Utah. 

I enjoy volunteering with LHI and helping to organize the warehouse, setting up apartments for refugees, especially those from Ukraine, packing orders for shipments overseas, and so much more. I especially enjoy translating the contents of the donation boxes into Ukrainian so it’s easier for Ukrainians to understand what is in each box when they arrive in Ukraine. I’m happy to be here in the U.S. so that I can help. In Russia, providing humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians is punishable by law. 

Nikita organizes shelves of aid that LHI includes in its international shipments.

I believe that it is important to help people who have lost their families and their homes. I am glad that I have found Lifting Hands International, an organization whose ideals match my own. Lifting Hands International exists and continues its work to change the world for the better. If you are a student in the American Fork area or just live there, I highly encourage you to get involved with LHI and make an impact to change someone's life. Let’s change our world and help those who are in need together!

LHI Looks Back on 2023

by Brigid Rowlings, LHI Communications Director

LHI’s COO Walker, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Jaron, and Founder and Director Hayley distributed aid to survivors of the earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria in February.

Looking back over the past year, we cannot believe all you have helped us to do! Here are the highlights!

The LHI Community Center in Serres, Greece

LHI’s Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Jaron and founder of our Utah programs Carlissa lent some elbow grease to improvement projects at the LHI Community Center in Serres.

It was a year of continued growth and innovation at the LHI Community Center, which is located near two refugee camps in Serres, Greece. The LHI Greece team was thrilled to receive new computers for the education program and new shelving for the community center’s aid warehouse. After talking with the women who attend programs at the Female Friendly Space, the team also adjusted the way we distribute clothing, school supplies, baby items and other aid. Instead of handing out parcels, the team instead created “free shops” where beneficiaries can select their own items. This small change not only provides people with a sense of dignity, but also brings a lot of excitement and joy.

The LHI Greece team set up a free shop where parents could shop for baby items including these handmade teddy bears.

utah programs

LHI team members and volunteers loaded this container of aid for Jordan in October.

Our Utah team prepared and shipped 18 containers of material aid to places like Bangladesh, where thousands of Rohingya refugees living in a large refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar were impacted by a fire in March, Afghanistan, where 6.6 million people have been internally displaced by conflict and natural disasters, and Gaza, where over 80% of the population has been displaced. The team also sent 7 shipments to the US/Mexico border to help shelters there provide warm clothing, hygiene products, and baby kits to migrants.

The US Office for Refugee Resettlement provides local resettlement agencies with a list of items that must be in apartments of resettled refugees. If the items aren't donated, they must be purchased from the family's small stipend. LHI's Utah team relies on donations from you to keep our warehouse stocked so that we can provide all the items resettled refugees need!

The Welcome Program has grown so much that we had to expand our warehouse! So far this year, LHI volunteers have set up 285 apartments for refugees resettling in Utah. And, in addition to our long-standing partnerships with the International Rescue Committee and Catholic Community Services, LHI is now working with Cache Refugee and Immigrant Connection to make sure that resettled refugees in Logan, Utah come home to an apartment furnished with everything they need.

ukraine

The battery powered incubators you helped us provide put to good use at Bashtanka Hospital in Mykolaiv, Ukraine.

Last year, we asked you to help us get Ukrainians through a cold and uncertain winter and you responded! We were able to provide generators, battery powered infant incubators, sleeping bags and long underwear throughout Ukraine. Our teams in Ukraine have also been able to get consistent material, medical and psychological aid to frontline communities all year long.

LHI's Ukraine country director Serhii (center) organized LHI's response to the dam collapse, including finding this truck which pumped thousands of tons of water out of homes and businesses.

When the Kakhovka Dam in Kherson province ruptured in June, our teams responded not only by helping those displaced from their homes, but also by pumping thousands of tons of water out of homes and businesses. 

Moldova

Participants in the Story Time Project performed some of the Ukranian folk tales they had read for family and friends!

Looking back on all the work our Moldova team has done with Ukrainian refugees, it is hard to believe that our community center in Balti and our Storytime Project are not even a year old! Both programs provide social emotional support activities for participants and keep Ukrainian language and culture alive.

Children at the LHI Community Center in Balti participate in a yoga class, part of the social emotional supports offered to Ukrainian refugees.

jordan

LHI Founder and Director Hayley Smith toured one of the modular classrooms LHI was able to build for Syrian refugee children in Jordan.

In Jordan, it’s all about kids and kids! The first set of kids are the Syrian refugee children who have benefitted from the 3 modular classrooms we built this year. Because Jordanian schools are already at capacity, building classrooms means that Syrian children can attend school. 

This family turned the 2 milk goats they received from LHI into a herd of 25 in just 2 years!

The second set of kids are the 1,200 Shami milk goats we have distributed to Syrian refugee families. The families who benefited had been goat herders in Syria, but had to leave their herds behind when they fled civil war. Having milk goats allows these families to improve their family’s nutrition and move towards self-sufficiency as they sell milk and grow their herd. One family we visited this year had turned the two milk goats they received two years ago into 25! The income they earned from goat milk and goat products allowed them to leave the refugee camp and rent a home. 

emergency response

LHI's COO Walker distributed aid to an earthquake survivor in Turkey.

LHI specializes in responding to emergency situations quickly, talking to the people impacted, and finding out what they most need. In February, we were able to assist both Turkish and Syrian people impacted by earthquakes by providing medical and psychological first aid, hygiene kits, and food packages. 

LHI responded to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza quickly, finding partners on the ground to help us source aid and get it to civilians who need it in Gaza.

In October, we arrived in Egypt and got right to work finding the right partners to help us get aid to the over one million people displaced in the Gaza Strip. We established a partnership with the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) who helped us get food and medicine into Gaza.

We Couldn’t Have Done It Without You!

Whether you are an LHI volunteer or a donor, whether you’ve tied blankets or assembled hygiene kits for a service project, or whether you are a partner or a grant provider, you are a part of our team. Thank you for your support this year. We look forward to working together again in 2024 to meet needs around the world. No politics. Simply humanitarian.

LHI's Utah Team Welcomes Resettled Refugees Home

by Brigid Rowlings, LHI Communications Director

LHI’s team of volunteers adds small but important touches, like handmade quilts and toys, to the apartments the Welcome Program sets up for refugees resettling in Utah.

In 2021, tens of thousands of vulnerable Afghans including those who’d worked alongside US personnel as translators and interpreters were evacuated from Kabul after the Taliban regained control of the country. Utah offered to welcome Afghan refugees through the federal resettlement program. Soon, hundreds of Afghans arrived. The two official refugee resettlement agencies in Utah, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Catholic Community Services (CCS), were tasked with managing each individual and family’s case. The LHI Utah team reached out to the IRC and asked how LHI could help.

The team quickly learned that:

1. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program provides a small stipend for each resettled refugee to help with rent, food, clothing, household items, and case management services (as of today, November 3, 2023, that amount is $2,425). 

2. There is a list of items that the Refugee Admissions Program requires resettlement agencies like the IRC to provide in the homes they set up for refugees.

3. If the items on the list are not donated, the resettlement agency has to buy them out of the small stipend, leaving little left for other needs and necessities.

The Utah team knew just how they could help! We immediately began collecting items on the list and assembling teams of volunteers to set up warm, welcoming homes for resettled families. In 2022, we set-up 255 apartments, benefiting 1,020 refugees.  

Each of these bins represents an apartment the LHI Welcome Program is preparing to set up for a newly-arrived family. The Welcome Program team makes sure that all items a family needs is there waiting for them.

When the surge of evacuated Afghan families slowed, LHI decided to continue helping arriving refugee families arriving as a permanent, core part of our strategy to help refugees in Utah. Today, our team works with the IRC, CCS, and now Cache Refugee and Immigrant Connection (CRIC) to make sure that everything a family needs, including 2 weeks worth of groceries, is on hand. Our volunteers make beds, often with handmade quilts and blankets, and leave items like stuffed animals and school supplies to make the family’s home as comfortable and homey as possible. Often it is a stark difference to the refugee camps they had been living in. 

The LHI Welcome Program team works hard to provide families with items like these large bowls that provide a sense of familiarity as they adjust to living in a new place where so much is unfamiliar. These bowls help families from some countries prepare food and eat in a familiar way.

Coming home to an apartment that has been set up with such care can provide a sense of comfort for refugees just arriving in the United States. Anyone who qualifies for resettlement as a refugee has been through a lot. To qualify for resettlement, people must prove that they experienced persecution in their home countries. Often, the United States is the last stop on a long journey that may have included traveling in dangerous conditions and spending time in refugee camps. Although resettlement in the United States offers the promise of permanence and safety, arriving in a new country can feel overwhelming and confusing. Having a warm, inviting place to call home makes things a little easier.

If you are interested in helping LHI’s Welcome Program, there are many opportunities!

Volunteer! We have two main tasks people interested in volunteering for the Welcome Program generally do: pulling items from our warehouse stock for a set up and going to the apartment to set it up. To find out more about volunteering, please contact anne@lhi.org.

Donate items. Resettlement agencies are required to furnish all apartments with specific items before families arrive. If those items are not donated, then resettlement agencies must purchase them out of the already small stipend families receive to get them started. When you donate any of the items on our needs list, there is more money available for families to meet their basic needs. You can order directly from our Amazon wish list, or drop off donations at one of several  locations throughout the Salt Lake area. To find one near you, contact traci@lhi.org.

Donate gift cards. Gift cards to places like grocery stores, Walmart, and Amazon are always helpful! We often rely on gift cards to purchase items that we don’t have on hand in the warehouse, but that are required to be in an apartment. Gift cards can be mailed to Lifting Hands International, 920 E State Rd, Suite H, American Fork, UT 84003 or send e-gift cards to traci@lhi.org. 

The LHI Utah Program Celebrates Our Warehouse Expansion With An Open House!

by Ann Perkins, LHI Utah Resettlement Manager

Author and LHI Utah Resettlement manager Anne with LHI Utah Director Traci, and Marvis, LHI Utah Foreign Aid manager are all thrilled to have more warehouse space!

Recently, we nearly doubled the square footage of the LHI Humanitarian Aid Warehouse in American Fork, Utah! This expansion means that we now have more space to organize housing set ups for resettled refugees that benefit from our Welcome Program. Also, the additional space lets us work on more international and border aid shipments simultaneously. This means that we are able to reach more refugees at home and abroad than ever before!

After a lot of hard work moving into our expanded warehouse space, we had an amazing open house to celebrate! We had hundreds of people show up with clothing to donate, furniture, blankets, and all sorts of supplies.

our first open house!

LHI's Director of Outreach Jessica welcomed hundreds of guests to the first annual LHI Humanitarian Aid Warehouse Open House in American Fork, UT on Saturday, September 21.

Jessica, LHI’s Director of Outreach, greeted guests at the door. Everyone that walked in was given a tour of the new Warehouse space by one of our volunteers, and invited to help work on kits and service projects at different stations and tables throughout the warehouse.

The kids loved making and decorating "You are loved" cards. We enclose these cards in our shipments to let beneficiaries know that we are thinking of them.

Visitors made 1,200 hygiene kits, 1400 school kits, stuffed 100 teddy bears, tied 50 blankets and made hundreds of “you are loved” cards and welcome signs.

Volunteers tied fleece fabric into cozy blankets that will keep beneficiaries all over the world warm!

Recently, 200 children who visit our Refugee Community Center in Serres, Greece received school kits just like these as they prepared for the start of the Greek school year.

We had Crumbl cookies for everyone and even held a raffle for a Kneaders gift basket and LHI swag bags that went to 10 lucky winners.

Thank you to Crumbl Cookies for providing volunteers with a well-deserved sweet treat!

We gave special thanks to eBay and the GCX4Good for generously donating supplies for all of the hygiene kits. We will definitely do an open house next year! 

Thank you ebay and gcx4good! We couldn't have done it without you!

More Help is on the Way for Refugees in Utah and Abroad

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

More Help is on the Way for Refugees in Utah and Abroad

Local Nonprofit Is on the Frontlines of Helping Thousands of Refugees, in Response to Global Crisis

American Fork, May 24 - Lifting Hands International (LHI) a prominent Utah-based nonprofit organization with a humanitarian hub in American Fork, continues to provide critical support to refugees in Utah and abroad. A recent shipment of hygiene kits, shirts, and underwear was dispatched to ‘Team Brownsville’ in Texas at the border, with others scheduled for Ukraine and Jordan this week. LHI swiftly adapts to changing world circumstances, customizing their aid and shipments to meet refugee needs.

Riya after being rescued from her 9th floor apartment in Ukraine receives help at the Warsaw Central Station on her journey to Utah. 

A Story of Hope From Inside the LHI Warehouse

The ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine, deadly global natural disasters, and a burgeoning flow of migrants seeking shelter in the U.S., has LHI on the front lines of helping countless individuals and families who are seeking refuge from the horrors of war, persecution, and natural disaster. Riya an elderly woman from Ukraine, disabled and traumatized by the war, recently found solace in LHI's care. Trapped on the 9th floor of an apartment building during the conflict, she endured sleepless nights filled with fear and thoughts of impending death. Eventually, her niece Maryna rescued her and brought her to Utah, where LHI's Director of Humanitarian Aid, Traci Parson, greeted her with a compassionate hug. Overwhelmed with relief and gratitude, Riya burst into tears, thankful for the welcome and desperately needed items LHI provided to help rebuild her life.

Ryia (middle) reunited with niece Marya (right) in Utah at her grand-nieces dance recital.

The Impact

As global crises intensify, the number of displaced individuals and families has reached unprecedented levels, escalating the need for humanitarian aid, particularly for refugees from war-torn countries like Ukraine, Syria, and Afghanistan, earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria, and legal asylum seekers in U.S. border shelters. Many refugees escape with only the clothes on their backs and families are often separated, making LHI a lifeline for alleviating their suffering and meeting their basic needs. 

A Syrian refugee boy in Jordan receives some aid supplies, along with one of LHI’s signature 'You Are Loved' cards, which are included in every aid bundle.

Welcome to Your New Home

LHI's Welcome Program for refugees resettling in Utah helps to equip incoming families and individuals with home goods, including bedding, kitchen supplies, bathroom essentials, cleaning items, and food. Moreover, in response to growing demand, LHI has successfully set up hundreds of apartments for refugee families in partnership with the local resettlement agencies, International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Catholic Community Services (CCS).

Hayley Smith (LHI Founder / Director) and Jaron Malyon (LHI Director of Monitoring and Evaluations) distributing aid to earthquake victims in Turkey.

By extending a helping hand, Utahns can immensely impact the lives of refugees facing unimaginable challenges. LHI encourages individuals, groups, businesses, and organizations to join their cause by donating essential items, making kits or blankets, assisting with apartment setups, or making financial contributions. A comprehensive list of urgently needed items and instructions on how to donate can be found on LHI's website at https://lhi.org/needs-list.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Tiffany Bloomquist, Community Outreach Coordinator

801-557-5597 • tiffany@liftinghandsinternational.org

About Lifting Hands International: 

Lifting Hands International (LHI) is a leading nonprofit organization based in American Fork that offers critical support to refugees in Utah and abroad with no politics, simply humanitarian. Through collaborative partnerships and swift action, LHI provides humanitarian aid, resettlement assistance, and essential supplies to those fleeing war, persecution, disaster, or legally seeking asylum. With a strong presence in Utah and internationally, LHI aims to restore hope and dignity to vulnerable populations, empowering them to rebuild their lives.

Refugee Resettlement: Creating Welcoming Homes

by Carlissa Larsen, Co-Director of Utah Operatons

The Lifting Hands International team in Utah sets up several apartments for refugees resettled in the Salt Lake City area every month.

I had been warned, “They may not open the door for you.” 

I was on my way to the home of a large Afghan family of 10 people. The LHI Utah team had recently set up a home for them. This family had been evacuated from Afghanistan, screened at a US military base, and found eligible for resettlement in the United States-Salt Lake City in particular. 

Utah has received hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan. LHI works in cooperation with the two resettlement agencies in Utah, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Catholic Community Services (CCS), to prepare and set up family housing and to provide household items the incoming refugees will need.

When this Afghan family first arrived, they were placed in a hotel for months until more permanent housing could be arranged. A few days ago, they were finally able to settle into their new home. A couple of the items that LHI had intended to provide when we set up their home were on backorder. When the items arrived at the LHI Aid Warehouse, the resettlement agency gave me permission to bring the items to the family.

The resettlement agency warned me that the family might not answer the door because they had been through so many life threatening situations and trauma. “If they don’t answer,” the resettlement agency told me, “just leave the items on the doorstep.” 

LHI Founder and Director Hayley Smith helping to stock the kitchen in an apartment we set up for a resettled family.

As I approached the house I could smell the most delicious food cooking. Generous donors had helped us to supply the family with 2 weeks’ worth of groceries when we set up the house a few days prior.

I rang the doorbell expecting to stand there for a few minutes before leaving the items on the doorstep, but to my surprise, a young girl flung the door open without any hesitation. The girl stood there looking at me with the biggest smile I had ever seen. Maybe she was smiling because a sibling had made her laugh just as she opened the door, or maybe she was smiling because she was elated to have a visitor regardless of who that visitor might be, or maybe, just maybe she was simply content with the peace that comes from finally feeling safe at home. I smiled in return, and stepped into the house, grateful to be able to welcome this family to the community in person.

This is what our LHI local resettlement program creates: welcoming homes filled with smiles.

Join our team of volunteers who set up housing for refugees resettled in the Salt Lake area.

We are so grateful for people who donate their time, energy, supplies and finances that allow us to set up housing for incoming refugee families. If you are in the Salt Lake area and  looking for a way to help resettled refugees locally please consider one or many of the following:

• Provide Walmart gift cards- These cards allow us to purchase fresh food and household items for the families we set up housing for.

• Provide household items- see our Resettled Refugees needs list. It is federally mandated that certain items are provided to each family. If items aren’t donated, then they must be purchased with the small stipend designated for each family. So donating items significantly helps the family financially because they can use their stipend for other needs.

• Volunteer to help with the set-up. We do multiple set-ups each week and would love to have your help.

• Become a Team Lead and be in charge of setting up housing. This should be a consideration for those who want to help set up housing regularly and not just one or two times. 

Contact me at carlissa@lhi.org with any questions.

Refugee Work at Home: Granite School District

by: Hayley Smith, LHI Founder/Director

LHI provides humanitarian aid to refugees, both at home and abroad. This post will focus on the “at home” part of our mission statement. It is post 1 of 3 in a series about our partnership with Granite Education Foundation in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A family helps prepare an aid shipment at our warehouse in American Fork, Utah.

I spend a lot of time at our program in Greece, and I always get a kick out of telling our team members, most of whom are European, that we also have a huge warehouse in Utah. Before they ask about the warehouse, they’ll inevitably ask, “Isn’t Utah where [insert stereotype]?” After a brief clarifying lesson about National Parks, green jello with shredded carrots, and filming locations for High School Musical—and how I’m from Texas not Utah—we finally arrive at the absolute best thing about Utah: its passion for refugee work!

Even the smallest volunteers help out!

The state of Utah has long been a champion of refugee resettlement, taking in tens and thousands of refugees from all over the world over the course of several decades, no matter the current overall political attitude towards refugee resettlement. That being said, limited funding is always an issue for all states, and especially challenging for resettlement agencies responsible for putting refugees on their path to integration. This is a huge process that starts with identifying housing, enrolling kids in school, providing adult education, finding employment, and getting set up with basic medical care.

Volunteers help sort through items donated through our Amazon Wishlist.

Refugees are often resettled in low socioeconomic-level neighborhoods in urban centers, bringing a different set of challenges altogether. Take Salt Lake City, Utah for example: 70% of the entire state’s refugee population is resettled within the borders of ONE school district alone—Granite School District in Salt Lake City. This is where our Lifting Hands of Welcome program (operated out of our humanitarian aid warehouse in nearby American Fork) comes into play… Stay tuned to learn more!

In our next post, we will talk about how we got connected with the Granite Education Foundation and how we help underprivileged refugee families that live in the Granite School District.

Click here to learn more about our Lifting Hands of Welcome program that assists resettled refugees in Utah.

How Does LHI’s Beyond Borders Program Deliver Aid to Refugees Around the World?

If you missed part 1, click here to check it out.

In part 1, we learned how LHI obtains humanitarian aid supplies. In part two, we’ll explore how LHI gets those supplies from their warehouse in American Fork, Utah, into the hands of refugees around the world.

Part 2: Delivering the Goods

Volunteers sort through donated items in preparation for a shipment.

Once aid supplies are at our warehouse (having been gathered by volunteers at more than three dozen drop-off locations or delivered after being purchased by supporters from our Amazon Wishlist), volunteers begin sorting through it all, checking expiration dates on food and hygiene items. Everything is sorted and boxed by item or kit, clearly labeled, and moved to the appropriate location in the warehouse depending on where it will be shipped (we collect supplies for multiple shipments at the same time).

Oh, so where do we get all the boxes? Some boxes are provided by our partner org, Helping Hand for Relief and Development. Others come from a generous local donor who supplies us with clean boxes that were previously used to hold envelopes. It’s important for the boxes to be the same size so they will fill the space inside the shipping containers as efficiently as possible.

Items are logged into a spreadsheet to speed along the customs process.

Every box is numbered and every donation is logged into a spreadsheet, which helps us track what we have sent and ensures that the container gets through customs in an efficient manner. Aid supply numbers from the spreadsheets also provide information to update our online Shipment Tracker, enabling our supporters to check the status of shipments and see photos of the aid being distributed to refugees around the world.

A full container, ready to ship!

Once we have enough labeled boxes to fill a 40’ shipping container, we contact HHRD and make arrangements to have a container delivered to our warehouse for loading. On social media, we advertise the need for volunteers to help us load it. We can usually have the container filled with a team of volunteers in 2 hours or less. Once fully loaded, we put a seal on it and send it on its way!

We love seeing their smiles!

When the container arrives at its destination port, it goes through the standard customs process. Once it clears customs, HHRD or their partner org on the ground delivers the supplies to their final destination for distribution. After the distribution is complete, we receive a distribution report with information about the beneficiaries and pictures of the aid being distributed. Seeing the smiles on their faces is our favorite part. It makes all the hard work worth it!

Click here to learn more about our Beyond Borders program!

LHI’s humanitarian aid warehouse is home to three different programs that provide aid to refugees. Through our Beyond Borders program, we deliver aid to international destinations, and each shipment gets distributed to tens of thousands of refugees. We also provide aid to asylum seekers at our southern border through our Border Aid program. Finally, through our Welcome program, we assist resettled refugees by providing them with basic household items, allowing them to use the small stipend they receive for other necessities like transportation to their jobs, rent payments, etc.

How Does LHI’s Beyond Borders Program Deliver Aid to Refugees Around the World?

In this two-part series, we’ll explore exactly what it takes to collect, sort, pack, ship, deliver, and distribute aid supplies to help refugees around the world.

Every week at LHI’s Humanitarian Aid Warehouse in American Fork, Utah, volunteers help us sort, pack, and fill industrial-sized containers of aid supplies that will ship to refugees in locations around the world as part of our Beyond Borders program. Sounds simple, right? But what really goes into it? How do we get the supplies? How do we even determine what is needed, and where? And how has the COVID-19 pandemic changed daily operations? Read on to find out!

Part 1: Gathering Supplies

Under normal circumstances, preparing an aid shipment begins with research. We investigate places around the world that are currently experiencing a refugee crisis, then present these locations to our partner org, Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD). HHRD then lets us know if they have teams on the ground in those locations, or if they have partner orgs on the ground that can receive and distribute our aid shipments.

LHI investigates places around the world that are currently experiencing a refugee crisis. Why do we often ship aid instead of acquiring it locally? Click here to learn why.

Common aid supplies include personal hygiene items, clothing, and school supplies.

Once we determine a location, we request a list of the most needed supplies for the refugees living there. The list is always different, and knowing what is not needed is just as important as knowing what is. Supplies that aren't really needed can be a hindrance, and they take up valuable container space that could have otherwise been filled with needed items. So from the initial needs list, we create our own list of items that will be feasible for us to collect, pack, and ship. Then we begin sharing our needs list with people just like you through social media and on our website.

Using our needs list as a guide, we also create a list of “kits.” Our kits lists are posted on social media, our website, and other service organization websites, so individuals and groups wanting to help us collect needed aid can do so in the form of service projects. This enables larger numbers of people to get involved, multiplying the impact of their efforts. Businesses, schools, family reunions, church groups, and individuals all come forward to help collect donations and make kits.

Volunteers prepare aid supply kits.

Donated items collected at our drop-off locations all throughout Utah are delivered to our warehouse.

Once the community members have collected items for donation, they contact us to request a drop off location near them (we have more than three dozen drop-off locations throughout Utah). And when a drop-off location has accumulated a carload, truck full, or trailer full, they bring the donations to our warehouse in American Fork, Utah.

Interested in donating aid supplies?

Click here for information about our current needs for donated aid supplies.

Donate Aid Supplies Online.

Individuals everywhere can use our Amazon Wishlist to purchase needed items, and those items will go to our warehouse (we frequently update our wishlists to reflect current needs).

Thanks for reading! Next week, we’ll continue with Part 2: Delivering the Goods. Check back to find out what happens once aid supplies arrive at our warehouse. Be well!

Click here to learn more about supporting our Beyond Borders program.

Volunteer Spotlight: Carlissa!

LHI’s Humanitarian Aid Warehouse in Utah is home to its Beyond Borders program, which was started by volunteer Carlissa Larsen in 2016. Now she serves as Volunteer Co-Director of Utah Operations.

Q: Why did you start the Beyond Borders project?

Edward Everett Hale once said "I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

When I first started hearing of the refugee crisis, reading the stories in the news and seeing the pictures, I realized that I could not stand idly by and watch the suffering of these men, women, and children without doing something. I had to do something. Like many of you, a humanitarian trip overseas was not realistic for me and my circumstances, so volunteering through LHI became the "something" that I could do. I understood that by myself I could do very little, but collectively, with the help and support of the community, the impact, and the good that we could do would be endless. And so I started the Beyond Borders project. Alone I could do something, but together with the combined efforts of the community we could relieve suffering in innumerable ways. My mission then became, and is now, to implore you to consider, what is the "something" that you can do? I encourage you to do it.

 Q: What would you like people to know about the global refugee situation?

No matter how dark the world refugee situation may seem, there is always a flame of hope. But someone must hold the candle. There is something that everyone can do, and when we unite our efforts, no matter how small our individual flames may be, the combined warmth can ignite a blazing hope that cannot be ignored, illuminating the fact that there is still good in this world. That kindness can still prevail, and humanity is not lost. So pick up your candle and strike a match. Or just as important, pick up your pen and write a check. Do something about the inhumanity you see in the world. You are not the future. You are the present. And you have the power within you to make the world a better place from right where you are, right now. So change the world. 

Q: You mentioned that there is something for everyone to do. Many people want to help refugees, they just don’t know how. Can you share some ideas of things that people can do to get involved with the Beyond Borders project?

This is actually one of the reasons I got involved with LHI. I saw that LHI provides the how. Here’s a list of just some of the ways you can start helping refugees right now:

• Like us on social media and share our posts, especially our needs posts.

• Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

• Host a service project collecting items and making needed kits (school kits, hygiene kits, etc).

• Donate needed humanitarian aid supplies. Purchase items through our Amazon Wishlist and they will be shipped directly to our Humanitarian Aid Warehouse!

• Donate cash to support Beyond Borders.

• Host a small fundraising event like a dinner with friends and ask them to donate what they would pay for the price of their meal if they were to eat out.

• List LHI as your Amazon Smile charity so Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchases to help us help refugees.

• Make a blanket, a beanie hat, a scarf, or a drawstring backpack.

• Explore our website or email us for additional information and more ways to help.

If you are in Utah, you can also:

• Volunteer at our warehouse to help us sort and box humanitarian aid supplies.

• Volunteer to help us load the shipping containers.

• Register your Smith’s grocery card with LHI as your charity of choice and then every time you shop with your Smith’s card, Smith’s will donate a percentage of your purchase to help us help refugees.
  

Thank you so much, Carlissa, for your dedication to helping refugees around the world!

Click here to learn more about getting involved with our Beyond Borders program!

Volunteer Spotlight: Larry, Utah Program

Larry is one of our amazing Utah warehouse volunteers!  He does all of the hard work around the warehouse — all of the heavy lifting, box moving, ladder climbing, swamp cooler fixing, and any other jobs that no one else can do. And he does it all while cracking jokes and making us laugh! He is our food packing specialist and is always willing to drive out to the recycling center to drop off all of our empty cardboard boxes. We are so grateful to have him on our team and couldn't do it without him!

Tell us a little about yourself:
I am 70 years old and live in Lindon, Utah. I grew up in and we raised our family in Southern California. I attended BYU (BS degree in Zoology) and Loyola of Chicago (DDS degree in Dentistry). I’m currently retired with a goal to remain active and contribute to community, family and church community. Previous volunteer experience includes various church responsibilities, scouting, coaching, currently a docent volunteer at the Butterfly Biosphere at Thanksgiving Point in Utah. 

Role at LHI:
I do whatever I’m assigned to do, which includes assorting, packaging, relocating boxes, lifting, etc.

What is a typical day like for you?
In addition to the above, it is feeling the interaction with other volunteers who share a love for the people who will benefit by our labors. The joy of charitable giving.

How did you become involved with LHI?
My sister in law, Debi introduced us to the organization.

What have you learned since volunteering with LHI? Has your perspective changed?
Real charity is not something you give away. It is something that you acquire and it becomes part of yourself. When the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. I have certainly felt more fulfilled since volunteering at LHI.

Volunteer Spotlight: Ava, Utah Program

Ava is a dedicated Utah drop off location volunteer! Her drop off location is a busy one, and she has an hour drive round trip to get to the warehouse. We often see her once a week! She always pulls up to the warehouse with the music cranked up, her dog in the passenger seat, and a hug and a smile for us.

Tell us a little about yourself:
I’m 65 years old and originally from West Palm Beach, FL. I have been in the insurance business for 40 years and have worked for the same employer 20 of those years. I have served for many years in various positions in my church.  I love serving others.  My Facebook intro says: To serve others and in some small way repay my Father in Heaven for all He is given me. I feel very blessed and feel it my duty to share my blessings with others.

Role at LHI:
I am a drop-off for people who donate to LHI. I normally drop off the items to the LHI warehouse once a month. As most of you know, though, November and December was a very busy month, so I made numerous trips to the warehouse, about every week. It was an amazing experience.

What is a typical day like for you?
It varies depending on when people have donations to drop off. I get a number of phone calls and texts, knocks on the door at various times of the day and night.  People are always so kind, friendly, and so very appreciative of the LHI cause. I even get hugs from many of the people!  That REALLY makes my day.

How did you become involved with LHI?
I get email updates from JustServe.  One day, I saw the word Lebanon and read what it was about. My grandparents were from Lebanon. I never knew my grandfather and only knew my grandmother for about 3 years when I was a teenager. I've tried for many years to tie my Lebanese family tree together.  It is a very frustrating endeavor but one I won't give up on. I felt like I needed to make humanitarian kits for the people of Lebanon. Who knows? Maybe some of those people are my blood relatives? When I called Traci to find out where to take the kits, she told me they didn't currently have a drop off place near where I live. I asked her what was involved. Ironically, my hairdresser lives very close to the warehouse so I drive down there often, so it was a given that I should volunteer to be a drop off location.

Most rewarding experience volunteering with LHI:
I cry easily, and I’ve done a lot of crying since serving with LHI. I think one of the most touching moments came when I went to an assistant living facility to pick up donations. This sweet, mature couple came out of their building pulling a cart loaded with donations. The people at the center had gotten together and made many kits to be sent to Lebanon. I just felt such an overwhelming gratitude for good people who, even though they could sit back in their older years and just enjoy life, were still giving of themselves to help people that they will never know.  I had to stop the car and just bawl!

What have you learned since volunteering with LHI? Has your perspective changed? 
Serving with LHI has opened my eyes even more to the goodness of people.  I knew there were good people doing good things.  I've seen it many times. And, I have been one of those people that has been blessed by the goodness of others. On three different times in my life, I've had needed a place to stay. I was a single mom who had left Florida and moved to Utah. Total strangers took me and my son in, helped me to find a job and a place to live. Although my situation does not compare to what the refugees are going through, I was homeless and needed help from others. One of my favorite scriptures is from Matthew 25:35 "For I was an hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye game me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in."

Volunteer Spotlight: Wendy, Utah Program

Wendy is one of our amazing Utah warehouse volunteers. The first thing she always asks when she walks in is, "What can I do?" She is always willing to help out with whatever needs to get done and she has a great attitude. She makes everyone who comes into the warehouse feel welcome.

Wendy (left) and her sister Debi (right)!

Tell us a little about yourself:
I’m 68 years and from Lindon, UT. I’m formerly from Southern California. I studied Elementary Education at Brigham Young University. Honestly, my life goal was to raise a family that was happy, caring and successful. I have been privileged to have had many opportunities to volunteer and serve in my church, especially with youth. I have also had the opportunity to work several years with the missionaries from our church at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT. Politics and government have always interested me. I recently served as President of Utah County Republican Women and continue as a very active Executive Board Member.

Role at LHI:
I do whatever is needed, such as sorting, counting, packing boxes, etc. 

How did you become involved with LHI?
My sister introduced me to this organization. I felt this was an extremely worthy cause and wanted to contribute.

Most rewarding experience volunteering with LHI:
I have loved witnessing the generosity of all the individuals, organizations, churches and businesses who contribute so freely to this cause.

What have you learned since volunteering with LHI Utah? Has your perspective on anything changed? 
I have learned that it feels so good to be of some help in any way as I work with LHI.  No matter how small my efforts are, it is important I am contributing.  I have also loved the association with the other volunteers as we work together for a common cause.

Volunteer Spotlight: Renae, Utah Program

Renae is one of our our amazing Utah drop location volunteers and has one of the longest drives to the warehouse! She and her family often gather and bring in donations from all of the drop off locations in Southern Utah in their huge trailer. We are so grateful for their incredible efforts that help us to reach out to the Southern half of the state.

Tell us a little about yourself:
I am a 45 year old wife and mother of 4 children ages 21 to 2 years old.  I have a Masters in Social Work and a Masters in Public Administration and currently run a private law practice full-time.  I have lived all over the United States but currently live in Cedar City, UT.  I have had the opportunity to work as a private practice therapist/counselor, be a counselor for an alternative high school, open and run a center for adults with disabilities, as well a be a full-time caregiver to disabled adults and children living in my home, serve as a hospice social worker, and manage care for women and children’s departments in several NICUs and hospitals.  

Role at LHI:
I currently serve as a drop off location coordinator for Lifting Hands International and help transport donations to the warehouse, as well as sit on boards for several nonprofit organizations.  I have spent my life volunteering for and through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My heart is for the underprivileged. I truly feel blessed and want to help others.  

How did you become involved with LHI?
I heard about Lifting Hands through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and knew I needed to do something more. Shortly after getting involved with Lifting Hands, my 13 year old son chose Refugee Relief as his Eagle Project for the Boy Scouts of America.  

Most rewarding experience volunteering with LHI:
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to serve and to teach my children to serve as well. Each small act of service has a ripple effect that can be felt around the world.