CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte woman, a first-generation American, is doing what she can to help new families settle in to life in America.

What You Need To Know

  •  Welcome Home is currently helping roughly 57 families

  •  Amarra Ghani says the nonprofit has helped dozens of families over the years

  •  The organization assists primarily Muslim refugee families, as they immigrate to Charlotte and surrounding areas

Amarra Ghani is the executive director of Welcome Home, an organization that provides many services, including food and clothing assistance, to refugee families.

“Families from Syria, from Myanmar, we had a Russian family as well who was also Muslim. And, Afghanistan,” Ghani said.

She also said they have worked with families from Sudan as well.

Ghani spends many hours outside of her regular, 9-to-5 job at the Welcome Home warehouse, nestled in a Charlotte industrial park. The nonprofit assists primarily Muslim refugee families acclimating to Charlotte.

“I can’t just like watch. It’s like, you know, people are like 'see something, say something? I’m like see something, do something,'” Ghani said about what pushes her to action.

It all started in late 2017, when Ghani saw news reports of the Syrian refugee crisis. She was inviting friends over to celebrate Thanksgiving and had an idea.

“So, I gathered people around, and I was like ‘Yeah, lets have our Friendsgiving.’ It was a potluck. And, because that Syrian refugee crisis was happening, I was like ‘Hey guys, why don’t we also, you know, I’ll collect some warm items, and I’ll just distribute it,'” Ghani recalled.

Her friends delivered. They brought dozens of coats, sweaters and sweatpants to her, which she then donated to a friend who worked with refugee families. The first donation turned into several, and Ghani continued to collect other items. Eventually, it took on a life of its own, becoming her nonprofit.

“Because our community is so great, and we always have so much to give, we kind of extend it to other folks in the community that are in need. So this is for widows, single mothers,” Ghani added.

The nonprofit provides food, clothes, English learning and other services to refugee families. Ghani says they work hard to ensure Muslim families feel welcome and their traditions are honored.

“Sometimes, we’re missing out on opportunities of celebration of different cultures and ethnics and backgrounds. So, this is one way that we love to support our families,” Ghani described.

For example, this month they provided Ramadan baskets to as many of Welcome Home’s families as possible, fully stocked with the needed essentials. As a first-generation American herself, Ghani says doing this work is a fulfilling way to give back to others.

“Just to carry out the legacy I have been taught, my traditions, my faith traditions, which is really important to me. I cannot see something and not do anything about it,” Ghani said while sorting donated toys.

Since starting the organization officially in 2018, Ghani and her fellow volunteers have helped dozens of families. Currently, they help about 57 regularly. She says the end of the war in Afghanistan led to renewed calls for help as families immigrated to the United States and specifically, North Carolina.