Join Us This Fall — Love Your Neighbor at the Table
Every fall, Voice of Refugees hosts a series of community celebrations that bring refugee and immigrant families together with volunteers from local churches across Southern California.
For many of the families we serve — from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Yemen, and beyond — these events are often the first times they get to feel truly seen and welcomed in America.
And you get to be part of that!
We need volunteers who are willing to:
Set up and prepare event spaces
Serve food and welcome guests
Run children's activities and games
Assist refugee families as they navigate the event
Tear down and clean up after each event
And simply be present and celebrate with us
No special skills required. Just a willing heart and commitment.
THANKSGIVING EVENTS
1A. Thanksgiving Celebration — Anaheim
Saturday, November 14 | 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM (shifts throughout the day)
This is our largest event of the year — a homecoming. We expect 200–300 refugee and immigrant guests from across Orange County. Volunteer roles span the entire day, from early morning setup through evening teardown. You can sign up for a morning, afternoon, or full-day shift.
What to expect: Serve a Thanksgiving dinner, run activities for kids and youth, assist with a community raffle and gifts, welcoming guests, and simply being a friendly face at the table.
Sign up to volunteer at the Anaheim Thanksgiving event: https://forms.gle/gmo2Junv3CemieV1A
1B. Thanksgiving Celebration — Irvine
Friday, November 20 | 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Refugee families will be welcomed as part of a larger sojourner community that includes international students from around the world. This will be a smaller, more intimate gathering where you will have conversations and share experiences.
What to expect: Serving dinner, connecting with families, running children's activities, and helping with cleanup.
Sign up to volunteer at the Irvine Thanksgiving event: https://forms.gle/zx5j6Zh8YA1qwVn97
A NOTE FROM OUR TEAM
"We have seen what happens when the church shows up for our refugee community, not just with food and gifts, but with their full presence. Families who have felt invisible become visible. Children who have known so much loss receive so much joy. And volunteers who came to serve end up leaving having received something they didn't expect.
This fall, we invite you to be part of something beautiful. Come be the hands and feet of a God who sees every refugee, who was himself a stranger in a strange land — and who calls us to love our neighbors with the same extravagant welcome He has shown us."
— The VOR Team
Questions? Contact Cheri at vor@vorservices.org