The organization that handles refugee resettlement in Manchester says it’s seen an uptick in volunteers there over the course of the presidential campaign season.
Usually, a case manager drives new refugee families to apply for things like fuel assistance. But on Monday, a volunteer made the trip, said Amadou Hamady, the Manchester site director of the International Institute of New England.
Whenever a public figure says something "outraging" about refugees and others, Hamady said, "we always have seen people calling us and offering us support." With all the new volunteers, Hamady said, his small staff can do more for their refugee clients. "It's an opportunity for us," he said, "but more importantly, we're helping them to know that America has a different face, it's not the face on the news." The volunteers "are white, they are Caucasion, but they are loving."
Hamady remarked, he always says it takes a community to resettle refugees. Now, it feels like a reality.
