GREENWOOD, Ind. — Hoosiers wanting to help evacuees from Afghanistan who are staying temporarily at Camp Atterbury frequently visit the home of a Johnson County pastor.
At the home of Rev. Kyrmen Rea, pastor of Trafalgar Christian Church, they drop off clothing, diapers, coloring books and crayons for the children.
"These are families. These are human beings, people who are deserving of being treated with dignity and who need our generosity right now,” said Rea, who’s been collecting donations for the evacuees at her home and at her church in Trafalgar.
The need is ongoing and great.
"I don’t think we need to worry that we’re going to come up with too much,” she said.
And as fall sets in, with winter close behind, warm clothing is what’s needed most.
"We need coats. We need jackets, long pants, closed-toe shoes, any kind of warm winter clothing and blankets,” said Rea. "We are asking for new."
If there’s no time to go shopping, Rea said she’s happy to do it for folks if they want to donate money.
"Somebody sent me $100 last night. I bought 12 pairs of sweatpants in 30 minutes, and I’ll bring those out there tomorrow because they’re needed now,” she explained.
Even though the focus is on winter clothing and winter coats, right now, diapers for the children are still an ongoing need.
Rea hopes the giving continues, even as the needs change.
"I am concerned that the longer the situation goes on, that the novelty or the newness of it will wear off and that people's understanding of the need will wane,” she said.
All while the need itself doesn’t wane, but instead, just evolves.
"The need is really quite tremendous,” Rea said.