LDS Church Donates US$5 Million to Help Refugees

Latter-day Saint Charities is continuing its financial support for nine refugee resettlement agencies in the United States through a series of grants totaling US$5 million in 2021.

The funds are expected to help more than 9,000 refugees and immigrants through some 190 organizations affiliated with the following nine resettlement agencies in the United States:

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)
Church World Service
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS)
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC)
World Relief

The grants, which have been distributed for several years (see, for example, here), help refugees meet basic living expenses and obtain job skills training. They also help youth with supplemental education training and case management services. Commodities donations include food, hygiene and furniture for newly arrived refugees.

Alicia Wrenn, senior director of resettlement and integration with HIAS, said Latter-day Saint Charities “has been an incredible friend and partner” over the years through cash donations and commodities from Deseret Manufacturing and the bishops’ storehouse.

“We have many heartfelt testimonials from our network of this impact, such as messages from clients who are sleeping on a mattress for the first time in their lives or mothers finally getting adequate supplies of diapers,” Wrenn said. “Over and over we see clients feeling a sense of dignity finally receiving and living with basic household commodities.”

Wrenn said most of this year’s cash donation will be used for refugees’ emergency and technology needs.