Volunteers help create new home for refugees in Western New York

BUFFALO, NY — Thousands of refugees are resettling in New York, but creating a new home in an unfamiliar environment can be very difficult. This is why there is a team of volunteers who help us.

“Today we’re doing a montage for an Ethiopian mom and her six kids,” said Kathy Elias, creator of Kathy’s Happy Helpers.

Elias has a system in place.

“We do an installation in three days,” she explained.

They measure, clean and move furniture, over and over again.

“I thought we would make a house,” she said. “Then Catholic Charities said, ‘Can you make it another house?’”

All this hard work is aimed at welcoming refugees to this country.

“It’s a scary situation,” said Kate Pelczynski-Walker, public relations and communications specialist for Catholic Charities of Buffalo. “Having a group of people here to welcome you to the community can be a very helpful experience for them.”

Catholic Charities has a system of volunteers who help set up the house, but also pick them up from the airport, make appointments for them, show them how public transportation works and much more.

“We couldn’t do half of what we do without our volunteers,” Pelczynski-Walker said.

This is why this work is so important.

“All of our furniture, everything you see, is all donated except for the beds,” Elias said.

She’s part of a team of people in her Facebook group called “Kathy’s Happy Helpers.”

“Buffalo is known as the city of good neighbors, and I think it is extremely important to help those who are asylum seekers and immigrants who are arriving, because that is the main message of the United States,” said volunteer Connor Devans.

Whether it’s measuring, moving, or trying to settle, they all get something out of it too.

“It’s a bit like Tetris. You know, it’s a hassle,” Devans said. “It’s just a click away, a car ride, or a walk away and even with your neighbor, go out and help. You don’t have to see the effect, but always Do the right thing.”

Refugees will continue to arrive.

“I think the need for volunteers will increase in the coming years,” Pelczynski-Walker said.

This means that Elias will continue to appear.

“It definitely takes up more of my time than my job,” she said. “But it’s so rewarding.”

Although they don’t usually meet the families they serve, sometimes the people they help join Kathy’s Happy Helpers. Then they pay that help forward.

Elias is looking to involve more young people in this effort. You can find them on Facebook or contact your local Catholic Charities branch.