Nine Indiana National Guard armories will serve as regional collection sites for items to be donated to Afghan refugees temporarily housed at Camp Atterbury in southern Johnson County.
Gov. Eric Holcomb on Thursday tapped the nine sites and several state agencies to receive, sort and deliver the items, according to a news release from his office.
“Hoosiers have overwhelmingly responded to the needs of the Afghan refugees and asked to help these men, women, children and families as they arrive in the United States,” Holcomb said. “We are proud to do our part in helping those who have helped the United States and provide an organized collection effort to expedite getting the supplies to those who need them.”
Once donations are dropped off, Indiana Department of Correction and Indiana Department of Transportation personnel, with coordination from the State Emergency Operations Center and Indiana Department of Homeland Security, will work to ensure the donations are delivered to Camp Atterbury, according to the news release.
The armories will be open for donations starting Monday. Drop off hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., on weekdays.
The Johnson County armory will not be accepting donations, but nearby armories in Indianapolis, Danville and Greenfield will.
The armories are only collecting items that are most needed by refugees, which are clothing and shoes for all ages and powdered baby formula. Items are needed for all ages because about 40% of the refugees are children ages 14 and under.
Volunteers from Team Rubicon and the American Red Cross, national disaster response groups, also continue to aid refugees. Hoosiers may also make monetary donations to Team Rubicon at fundraise.teamrubiconusa.org or the American Red Cross at redcross.org/donate.
Organizations or businesses that want to make a large donation but cannot deliver to a designated site may contact the state health department at [email protected].
Locally, several businesses and organizations have also stepped up to collect donations for refugees. Johnson County drop-off sites include Wild Geese Bookshop, Union Christian Church, Trafalgar Christian Church and the Johnson County Recycling Center in Franklin.
The Franklin Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council is also collecting donations for refugees at Franklin City Hall, Franklin Parks and Recreation, Franklin Community High School and Franklin Community Middle School.
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The following Indiana National Guard armories are collecting donations:
Evansville: 3300 E. Division St.
Greenfield: 410 Apple St.
Rockville: 224 W. Strawberry Road
Danville: 1245 E. Main St.
Muncie: 401 N. Country Club Road
Indianapolis: Kessler-Moore Readiness Center, 2625 W. Kessler Blvd. North Drive
Fort Wayne: 130 W. Cook Road
South Bend: 1901 Kemble Ave.
New Albany: 2909 Grant Line Road
The following sites in Johnson County are also accepting donations:
Johnson County Recycling District: 900 Arvin Drive, Franklin. The Franklin Recycling Center is open for drop-offs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday though Friday and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.
Trafalgar Christian Church: 300 West Pearl Street, Trafalgar. Those interested in dropping off donations should call or text Pastor Kyrmen Rea ahead of time at 317-408-9782.
Union Christian Church: 1331 East 300 South, Franklin. Those interested in dropping off donations should call Rev. Mark Parkinson ahead of time at 765-744-9772.
Wild Geese Bookshop: 107 South Water Street, Franklin. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 12-4 p.m. on Sundays. Wild Geese will collect at this location until Sunday and will resume collecting at their new store at 40 East Madison St. on Oct. 1.
Franklin Community High School: 2600 Cumberland Dr, Franklin. Donations can be accepted during school hours, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Franklin Community Middle School: 625 Grizzly Cub Dr, Franklin. Donations can be accepted during school hours, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Franklin Parks and Recreation: 396 Branigin Blvd, Franklin. Donations can be accepted during office hours Monday to Thursday 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Franklin City Hall: 70 E. Monroe St., Franklin. Donations can be accepted during business hours Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Here’s a look at what is needed:
Men’s and women’s unbranded, modest clothes such as long sleeve t-shirts, underwear, pants and jackets in sizes small to large. No shorts or tank tops.
Children’s clothing, including baby and newborn clothes, hats and socks.
Powdered baby formula.
Socks, hats, shoes and slide-on sandals for evacuees of all ages. No flip flops.
All donated items should be in their original packaging.
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