Wilmington non-profit collecting donations for Afghan refugees

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington-based non-profit is collecting items for Afghan refugees at a locally owned business in Wrightsville Beach on Tuesday.

Veterans For Good is collecting donations until 8 pm at Jimmy’s Wrightsville Beach. They are looking for conservative women’s and children’s clothing, items for infants and babies, and hygiene products.

The non-profit was created by Russell Larkins, a marine veteran who served in Afghanistan. He said its mission is to create accountability in the combat veteran community in order to end veteran hopelessness, depression, and suicide.

Larkins said as a veteran who came to know the people in Afghanistan, he’s seen that 99-percent of Afghan people are wonderful. He said the Afghan people would always stop what they were doing to offer him tea or water, and offer the soldiers food before they ate themselves.

“We’re really focusing on women and children and I think it’s our duty, especially if you fall into the Christian category, I think it’s your duty to reach out and help these refugees,” Larkins said.

After 8 pm on Tuesday, they will stop collecting clothing and hygiene items because they will be picked up and headed to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. The non-profit will continue to collect monetary donations.

Last year, Larkins ran across the country to honor struggling veterans. Starting Wednesday, he will run 30 miles per day for 13 days to honor the fallen service members who died in the bombing in Afghanistan last week.

“They gave what I didn’t have to give. They also did it doing something that they love, I truly believe that,” Larkins said. “If I had to give my life when I was in Afghanistan, there is no other way I’d rather die, defending the vulnerable and protecting our nation. That’s exactly what they did.”

The veteran rebutted the idea that the service members died in vain. Larkins said he does believe mistakes were made but the people who gave their lives were doing something that they believed in. He added that the vulnerable people the service members were defending are the people that are now coming to the United States for help.

“If you believe in that at all and you love them at all, you’re going to help those refugees that are coming to our great nation right now,” Larkins said.

For more information, visit the Veterans For Good website.