Maybe it was the fact that the baby was the same age as one of her own sons. Maybe it was the familiar look of exhaustion on the mother's face. Whatever it was, Miry Whitehill felt an immediate connection to this family she'd never met, even though she couldn't speak to them in their native language, Arabic.
While preparing the New Arrival Supper Club’s first meal, 36-year-old Najwa didn’t sleep for two nights. Instead she and her husband disappeared into their apartment kitchen after putting their three kids to bed, whipping hummus and hand forming enough football-shaped kibbe to feed 42 strangers. The effort was worth it. The money raised from the $75-per-person event was used to purchase necessities for the family, refugees who had arrived in L.A. from the Syrian city of Homs six months ago.
If the events of this particularly bleak week have left you wondering how you can help, you’re not alone. This is why we find it incredibly important to bring attention to Miry’s List, an organization that’s doing life-changing work to help Syrian refugees. Read more >
The Wakili family immigrated to the U.S. in January. They were refugees from their home country of Afghanistan. After spending their first night in America at a motel, the family of seven moved into a one-bedroom apartment … with no beds. That’s where Miry’s List came in.
When Miry Whitehill visited the home of refugees who had arrived from Syria only weeks before, she was shocked by what she saw. The family’s apartment was nearly empty and lacked some basic essentials, like a refrigerator and a crib. “This woman had a baby the same age as mine and was not able to put her baby down because she didn’t have anywhere to put him,” said Whitehill. That’s when Whitehill decided that something needed to be done. Read more >
Constance Wu is known for her portrayal of Jessica Huang on ABC's Fresh Off the Boat — but we are always keeping our eye on the IRL Constance, too. Read more >
Millions of Americans will be going out to dinner on February 14. At best, most will leave with a champagne buzz, a belly full of oysters, and an empty wallet. But a lucky 25 people will spend their night helping out a family of new refugees by grazing on a massive spread of homecooked Syrian dishes in an Atwater Village backyard. Read more >
