Kenneth and Adi Martinez opened their extra bedroom to a family of four who left Afghanistan with all of their belongings packed in a few bags.
The Biden administration said as many as 95,000 refugees are expected to resettle in the United States from Afghanistan over the next year. U.S. military and diplomatic personnel withdrew from Afghanistan on Aug. 31, ending America's 20 years of war in the country.
The Martinezes said their Christian faith as well as their own experience motivated them to help. The couple immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 2011 when Kenneth Martinez was offered a job with Microsoft."We know exactly what it feels like to come to a brand new country with no family or anything," he said."We know it can be difficult, and in the case [of Afghan refugees], it’s very difficult.
When Johnson and her son and daughter, who work in the family business, asked for help from family and friends, a team of more than 100 volunteers stepped up to renovate the house in a matter of weeks and stock it with food, clothing, household supplies and toys.A volunteer force in Seattle stepped up to help prepare a home in Seattle for Afghan refugees.
Johnson has stayed in touch with the family as they have settled into their home, including taking them to see the ocean for the first time and procuring bread from a local Afghan bakery so they would feel more at home.MORE: How people in the US can help arriving Afghans The Afghan refugees arriving in the Seattle area typically come with just a suitcase or two and just over $1,000 in hand -- through a U.S. government stipend -- to start their new lives, according to Hanstad.
"I’ve been doing this work for years and I’ve seen that crises are short-lived. People move on to the next thing," she said."Really what we need desperately is funding so we can be flexible and agile."
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