GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — When Emma Gigot realized that displaced Afghan refugees would be coming to Wisconsin, she said she felt compelled to welcome them with a helping hand.
"I was watching the news and I saw flights full of people, and I realized they had to be going somewhere," Gigot said. "It was jut really heartbreaking to see these families coming with nothing but the clothes on their backs."
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Gigot made a Facebook post in hopes of gathering strength in numbers and planned to donate supplies through the Catholic Charities, which Governor Evers said is one of two organizations working directly with Fort McCoy as they increase their capacity for even more refugees arriving daily.
Within a few days, Gigot says she received more than a thousand dollars on Venmo and a huge pile of donated diapers, feminine hygiene products, and more. You can donate specific items through the Catholic Charities here.
Gigot asks people to consider the humans affected by the situation beyond politics – seeing them as people who left behind everything.
"They're just asking for basic needs. They're families just like you and me," Gigot said. "If we were put in a situation where we needed to flee a country for safety of our children and our parents, I think the least we could do was look and see that they don't have clothes. They don't have underwear. They don't have hygiene, and that's something really simple we can do. It doesn't need to be politicized – they're just human beings."
One car full of donations has been driven to La Crosse by a volunteer, and Gigot overnight shipped even more. Gigot plans to continue gathering donations as long as people are willing to donate.
