FAQs

Who We Are

Refugee Care Collective is a nonprofit organization that serves and empowers diverse populations of refugees resettled in Oregon as they rebuild their lives. Our Immediate Assistance Programs provide critical relief, addressing vulnerabilities people experience when resettled. Our long-term Mentorship Programs focus on long-term care, providing tangible support to those on their path to self-sufficiency.

Refugee Care Collective serves refugee families and youth who were resettled through the United States Refugee Resettlement Program. This program exists for families and individuals who were displaced by war, violence, or persecution. Since 2015, Refugee Care Collective has served hundreds of families from more than 30 countries.

Our programs partner closely with local refugee resettlement agencies and Oregon Department of Human Services. We receive hundreds of referrals every year from case managers and community leaders asking to enroll families and youth in our Immediate Assistance and long-term Mentorship Programs.

Additionally, we partner with communities across the city who care about coming alongside our resettled neighbors. From faith communities who host collection events, to businesses who have given generously, to local groups who have contributed in meaningful ways. View recent meaningful partners here.

Financial & Donation

Absolutely. We use your money to serve vulnerable families arriving in Oregon as they rebuild their lives. Whether you help respond to a newly arriving family with critical relief, or walk alongside a family for years, you’re making this work possible. Learn more about our work here!

Yes, can donate offline by mailing a check to the address below, or by providing the address to your fund: 

Refugee Care Collective
10160 SW Nimbus Ave, Suite F-3
Portland, OR, 97223

Yes, all donations are 100% tax-deductible for donors in the United States. You will receive a donation receipt when making a financial contribution or giving an in-kind donation. Feel free to contact us here if you have any questions.

Thank you for your generosity!

  • Restart Kits - learn more here!
  • Individual new items from our Restart Kits List.
  • Backpacks and new school supplies.
  • New or gently used and clean winter coats for men, women and children.
  • New or gently used laptops or tablets (5 years old or newer, with charger).
  • Gift cards to Fred Meyer, Target or Winco in denominations of $25 and more.

If you’re in the Portland Metro area and would like to donate furniture, please contact us at info@refugeecare.org.

You’ll find a list of our greatest needs here. However, we always have a general need for all Restart Kits, and will gladly receive any type at any time. Please drop-off Restart Kits during one of our monthly Collection Days at our warehouse in Tigard. More details here.

Coming Alongside

Thank you for your interest! Our programs are mostly structured for long-term volunteering. We offer Family Mentorship and Youth Mentorship Programs, where we pair adult volunteers with resettled families and youth throughout the Portland metro area. We ask for a 12-month commitment, connecting with the family or youth you’re paired with 3-4 times per month. Potential mentors attend a volunteer orientation, and complete a background check and application. Fill out this form to inquire about becoming a mentor.

Our work is built on partnerships in the community. Since 2015, we’ve partnered with hundreds of faith communities, businesses, and schools to serve our resettled neighbors. From hosting a collection event, donating goods or services, or sponsoring a project, learn more about how to partner here.

Yes! There are several meaningful ways to support our resettled neighbors besides volunteering.

  • Join our Monthly Giving Community. We see the power of what $10 or $25 per month can do when we respond together. As part of our Monthly Giving Community, you’ll receive regular email updates about the ways we’re supporting our new neighbors together
  • Build a Restart Kit for a newly arrived family. Invite friends, family or coworkers to join you in gathering the needed items.
  • Gather individual items for Restart Kits. Choose items from the Restart Kits list and drop them off during one of our collection events.

Perhaps! We are grateful for your interest in coming alongside newly arriving families. While newly arriving families have the option of being connected with mentors, there are many factors that go into this.

We aim to pair volunteers based on what is best for the family – location in the city, shared language, connection to their country of origin or its people are all factors we consider when connecting volunteers with families. We are looking for volunteers who see the challenges all people who are displaced and resettled experience, and who will join us in this work of coming alongside all refugee families, not just those arriving from one country.

General Inquiries

A refugee is a person forced to flee their home country because of war, violence, conflict or persecution, due to their race, nationality, religion, or membership in a particular social group or political opinion, and has crossed international borders to seek safety. People become refugees when they cross country borders. They are displaced (or Internally Displaced Persons) when forced to flee their homes but remain within their own country.

We expect Oregon to receive around 1,000 refugees this year through the United States Refugee Resettlement Program, with the vast majority resettled in the Portland metro area. We’ll likely receive families from more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, and Ukraine.

There are nine national resettlement agencies, all of which have offices across the country. We recommend doing a Google search with your city name and “refugee resettlement.”

Below are the nine national agencies who hold federal agreements to resettle refugees:

Church World Service | Ethiopian Community Development Council | Episcopal Migration Ministries | Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society | International Rescue Committee | US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants | Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services | United States Conference of Catholic Bishops | World Relief Corporation

If one of these agencies has an office in your city, send an email to find out what they need. While there are many other nonprofit organizations that serve the refugee community, this is a great place to start!

Absolutely! Here are the download instructions.

  • Go to this link to view our Rebuild film.
  • Click "Download." Select "Original - 612.98MB.”
  • (The other versions are compressed and are significantly lower in quality, so please be sure to select "Original.")
  • Feel free to send us an email with any questions, or just to share about your experience.

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Join in this work of welcome.

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