CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - An Evanston woman is helping hundreds of refugees weekly with a free on the North Side.
Amid reports of mass deportations in Chicago, Debra Michaud says her work is more important than ever.
"A lot of these families that I know are terrified. They're afraid to leave the house. They're afraid to go get food,” Michaud tells WBBM.
Michaud is the founder of Refugee Support Chicago, a Facebook group with more than 2,000 members that collects donations and recruits volunteers to help refugees, immigrants, and unhoused individuals in Chicago.
Last year, the group opened a free store in Uptown, where people can shop for basic needs.
"We give them coats, we have vitamins, diapers, clothing, outdoor gear, also bedding and sheets"
Micahud operates the store with the help of volunteers, many of them immigrants who used the store when they first arrived in Chicago.
She says people have been hesitant to visit the store this week.
"We are probably going to deliver food from food pantries because people are afraid to go to the food pantries. They're afraid to go on the bus. A lot of families are just keeping their kids from school," Michaud says.
One volunteer who came to Chicago from Venezuela about a year ago tells WBBM the store motivated her to learn English. Now, she's giving back to others in the same position she was.
Michoud says along with providing basic needs, store volunteers are also helping inform the community.
"Talking to people about their rights…We connect families with each other to support each other as well,” Michoud says.
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