TULSA, Okla. — Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma welcomed its twenty-third Afghan refugee to Tulsa, Monday night. The organization is acclimating the Afghan families to Tulsa life, but they are running into some trouble finding suitable homes.
Catholic Charities, the state’s official refugee resettlement agency, is providing its kitchen facilities to the group, with the owners of Middle East Market stepping in to donate food.
With Catholic Charities heading up the overall effort, Tulsa’s 800 refugees are part of a total of 1,800 approved for resettlement in Oklahoma — among the tens of thousands who were evacuated from Afghanistan in August with the U.S. withdrawal.
“It’s a testament to the incredible hearts and the incredible people that we have here in our community who step forward and say, ‘You know what? We’ll do this,’” said Deacon Kevin Sartorius, executive director of Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma.