A statewide donation effort for Afghan refugees being temporarily housed at Camp Atterbury will begin to wind down today.
Collections at eight Indiana National Guard armories designated as collection sites will end at 4 p.m. today. But Camp Atterbury’s Rail Deployment Facility — which Team Rubicon is operating out of — will continue to accept donations until the end of January. The facility is located at 5921 Schoolhouse Road, Edinburgh.
The outpouring of support for Afghans temporarily housed in Indiana has led to a surplus of some items, and existing donations are expected to meet the needs of tens of thousands of refugees who are being resettled across the United States, Indiana officials said Wednesday. Planning is also underway to determine how to provide needed resources to refugees in the months ahead, according to an Indiana Department of Homeland Security news release.
Atterbury, which is expected to house refugees through the end of January, had received more than 1.6 million items as part of the statewide program as of Dec. 1. Data from donation efforts at other sites indicates Indiana was a national leader in support of the refugee mission, according to the news release.
Atterbury officials are working to establish a clearinghouse of the remaining items to help support Indiana resettlement agencies. More than 300 Afghans have been resettled in Indiana as of Dec. 1, and 700 more will likely be resettled in the coming weeks, the news release said.
Right now, refugees at Atterbury are most in need of items such as wallets, shoes, bras, fingernail clippers, personal hygiene items and activity items like crochet supplies, games, books and toys, according to the news release.
Organizations that have been collecting items for refugees at Atterbury should contact Tyler Smith at Team Rubicon after Dec. 10 to arrange drop-offs for large donations. Smith can be reached at [email protected].
