HungerWalkRun 2023 Was A Success!

Hello Friends,

What an amazing Hunger Walk Run we had this year! Even though it was a cold, somewhat rainy day, so many supporters showed up for Inspiritus, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and local food ministries/pantries.

If you did not get a chance to participate, or even if you did, there's still time to donate. You can still donate until March 31:

We had some very impressive totals:

• $43,135.59 in confirmed online donations

• 21 teams

• 247 registered walkers/runners

And, we had some amazing teams joining us this year.

A huge shout out goes to:

• Cross of Life Lutheran Church, Roswell, GA

• Epiphany Lutheran Church, Suwanee, GA

• Epiphany Lutheran Church, Conyers, GA 

• Faith and Grace Lutheran Church, Decatur, GA

• First United Lutheran Church, & Mt. Zion AME, Kennesaw, GA

• Grace Lutheran Church, Carrollton, GA

• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church/Daily Bread, Woodstock, GA 

• Hats for Hunger, Lilburn, GA

• Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Marietta, GA 

• Inspiritus Refugee Services team, Atlanta, GA

• Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Atlanta, GA

• Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, Marietta, GA

• Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Douglasville GA 

• Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Johns Creek, GA

• Rivercliff Lutheran Church, Sandy Springs, GA

• Rock of Ages Lutheran Church, Stone Mt., GA

• St. John Lutheran Church, Griffin, GA

• St. John's Lutheran Church, Atlanta, GA

• St Luke's Lutheran Church, Atlanta, GA

• St. Luke Lutheran Church, McDonough, GA 

• Trinity Lutheran Church, Lilburn, GA

Hunger Walk was a great success because of you. We won't know the final totals for at least a month since donations will continue to come in through the end of March. We will be in touch once the final numbers come in!

With Gratitude,

– Mary Armstrong-Reiner
Inspiritus Hunger Walk Coordinator
Call/text at: (309)-212-0888

Action Alert: Help Protect Our Afghan Allies

Dear Friend,

Since 2002, the U.S. Government has employed Afghan allies to serve alongside U.S. troops, diplomats, and other government employees. Regrettably, these allies and their families soon became the targets of anti-American violence. They continue to be threatened, abducted, and targeted for their allegiance to the U.S. and NATO mission.

This issue is deeply personal to our Refugee and Immigrant Services team; multiple team members themselves fled Afghanistan for their lives as Special Immigrant Visa holders (SIVs) after aiding the US military.

Ahmad Habibzai is currently the Employment Coordinator for Refugees in Inspiritus' Atlanta office. Below is his story and call to action:

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“My name is Ahmad Habibzai; I have worked with USA programs in Afghanistan from 2007-2012. We had a great life back in Afghanistan but after some time my family received threats from Taliban, and then I decided to apply to Special Immigrant Visa program. I came to USA in 2014 to save our lives. My family had a hard time here, but we worked hard to ensure our future is bright. My daughters and sons are going to school with a huge vision to help the world; right now everyone is happy and life is back to normal."

"The SIV program is crucial for Afghan Interpreters and Afghans’ who worked with USA programs in Afghanistan during the last two decades. Their lives and their families’ lives are in danger due to their support to USA. They risked their lives for the hope that they will have a great country and a bright future for their families and future generations which did not happen. They did their part with honesty, dedication, and loyalty, and now they need your help. Please help them."

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Inspiritus has resettled hundreds of SIVs, and their stories are truly remarkable and heroic. The Afghan SIV program was created to provide a pathway to protection to those who face danger because of their service to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. It is our moral imperative to keep our promise to those we pledged to protect.

We're joining our Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) family, as well as several veterans’ groups, and members of Congress, in calling upon our government to urgently evacuate American-affiliated Afghans and their families...now! You can add your voice, by sending a message here.

As always, thank you for the compassion, support, and care you provide to the refugees we serve. We couldn’t do this work without you!

With Gratitude,

Aimee Zangandou
Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services
Inspiritus

The HungerWalkRun 2021 Results Are In!

Thank you for supporting another successful Hunger Walk Run with Inspiritus. With your support, we raised $92,484.19. This is the most we’ve ever raised!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in the 2021 Hunger Walk Run! This year we had 27 teams from 22 congregations. No matter how big or small your team was, or how much money you raised, YOU made an impact!

Team captains had a great time celebrating together on June 6 – click here for the video!

We'd like to recognize Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Marietta, and team captain Mike Frey, for the most walkers and runners registered online: 43. Also, Don Larsen from Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd was the top fundraiser online: $2,588.

Hunger Walk Run would not be possible without the amazing efforts of our Lutheran congregations who recruit the walkers and runners, raise the lion’s share of the funds, and utilize their percentage of the funds raised to support food ministries in their congregations and in their communities. And this year, with a totally virtual event for the first time, they came through with record setting results!

The TOP TEN CONGREGATIONS:

1. Trinity Lutheran Church, Lilburn $17,564.00

2. Grace Lutheran Church, Carrollton $14,597.55

3. Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, Marietta $12,938.64

4. Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Johns Creek $11,291.00

5. Cross of Life Lutheran Church, Roswell $6,755.00

6. Rivercliff Lutheran Church, Atlanta $5,540.00

7. St. John's Lutheran Church, Atlanta $4,310.00

8. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Marietta $3,850.00

9. Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Douglasville $3,773.00

10. St. Luke Lutheran Church, Atlanta $2,625.00

Trinity Lutheran has set an all-time record for amount raised by one congregation!

The Hunger Walk Run is an event of the Atlanta Community Food Bank that unites our community to raise awareness and critical funds for local hunger relief. Proceeds from the event benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and partner organizations like Inspiritus that help recruit participants and receive a percentage of the funds raised to support their hunger relief programs. Hunger Walk funding for Inspiritus is a vital part of our Refugee and Immigrant services programming. The funds will provide culturally appropriate food for newly arrived refugees on their first night in the United States, and longer as needed while they are striving to secure employment and attain self-sufficiency. Emergency food assistance is also available for refugees and immigrants facing food insecurity. We offer meals to families that participate in extended cultural orientation classes to learn how to navigate in their new communities, and snacks for refugee children who attend our summer camp program.

Thanks again to all who participated, and truly went the extra mile to make Hunger Walk Run 2021 a success. We are grateful for your partnership and support, and we look forward to walking together in the fight against hunger in 2022!

With Gratitude,
– Lorraine Dorough
Inspiritus

World Refugee Day is June 20

Dear Friend,

Please join us and our Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies partners as we celebrate World Refugee Day at Refuge Coffee Co., in Clarkston on Jun 20th!

Enjoy delicious food from local vendors, family-friendly activities, and delicious iced tea and coffee drinks as you meet your neighbors. Listen to special guest speakers, gather information at our advocacy booth, and experience incredible music and dance performances by various community groups. Shop locally from refugee and immigrant business owners at our vendor’s market.

Guests are asked to please register in advance. Invite interested friends and family members and share the news on your social channels using the hashtags #GALovesRefugees #RefugeesWelcome

If you have any questions, please contact me at sarah.burke@weinspirit.org

Don't miss this chance to show your support for refugees-RSVP below!

With Gratitude,

– Sarah Burke
Community Engagement Coordinator
Inspiritus

My letter to you regarding the Refugee Admissions Setback

Dear Friend,

I'm writing to make sure you're aware of the disheartening news regarding the United States' Refugee Resettlement Program. Last week, The Trump Administration announced its intention to set the 2020 refugee admissions ceiling to 18,000: the lowest number in the history of the program. An Executive Order now grants authority to states and local governments to deny refugee resettlement in their communities. This order violates the United States' commitment to welcome the most vulnerable refugees into our country.

Everyone here at Inspiritus, an affiliate of LIRS, is disappointed by this staggering setback. Lifesaving programs that have held bipartisan support for the past forty years are systematically being dismantled.

This issue is a deeply personal one for me. My family fled the Rwandan genocide, and we were fortunate enough to be among the less than 1% of all refugees worldwide to be offered a chance to rebuild our life through this program. I still have a photo of my father and I arriving at the Atlanta airport as refugees in 1997 (pictured below).

Today, I'm privileged to lead an incredible team here at Inspiritus. Like myself, several other staff members are former refugees, and they bring their bravery and resiliency to work every single day.

There are two things you can do to help us in this fight:

1) Please donate to our refugee services here and select Refugee Services in the pull-down menu.
Help us continue to be both a state and a nation that provides safety for our immigrants. Your donation will go towards providing day-to-day needs to newly arrived refugees: an apartment, food, health screenings, orientation, legal documents, and school registration for children. Visit our refugee services page for a full list of services.

2) Contact your elected reps in Georgia, and members of Congress, to ask them to support the GRACE ACT(Guaranteed Refugee Admission Ceiling Enhancement Act).

I want to thank you for your constant support during these past few challenging years. We will continue to advocate for a robust resettlement program and serve refugees who now call Georgia their home.

Kind Regards,
- Aimee Zangandou
Director of Refugee and Immigration Services Inspiritus