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Three ways you can support the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton’s relief efforts for Afghan refugees

Avatar photoByNora Peachin Updated
The Muslim Center of Greater Princeton began collecting supplies for refugees from Afghanistan in September.

If you want to help the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton support Afghan refugees in New Jersey, you can donate money, supplies, or your time to the cause.

The Muslim Center is once again collecting donations for the estimated 15,000 Afghan refugees currently living at the Fort Dix military base in Burlington County. The Princeton area community stepped up beyond organizers’ wildest expectations in September for the initial fundraiser, said Nadia Bandukda, co-lead of the center’s Afghan Refugee Committee.

“Dozens and dozens of boxes arrived every hour,” Bandukda said.

The Muslim Center of Greater Princeton was able to fill at least 10 trucks with supplies because of the generosity of the Princeton area community.

She and her team are hoping for an equally successful turn-out this time around, and hope to keep the community mobilized and united in supporting the refugees.


Requested items include thermoses for hot drinks, sweatshirts, sweatpants, sneakers, boots, closed-toed shoes, cultural clothing, school supplies, and strollers. Donations should be dropped off on Oct. 29, 30, and 31 at the Muslim Center at 2030 Old Trenton Road in West Windsor.

Monetary donations are also being accepted on a fundraiser page created by the Muslim Center. Some money raised will go towards purchasing basic necessities for the refugees. Funds will also be used to support the organization’s long-term goal of hiring a full-time caseworker to support the refugees in New Jersey.

If you are interested in volunteering to support the center’s refugee aid efforts, you can sign up online. Volunteers are needed to help with translation services, cooking meals, collecting donations, teaching English, providing housing for families released from the base, and more. A full list of volunteer opportunities is available on the sign-up form.

Volunteers with a truck full of supplies for refugees.
Supplies are unloaded at Fort Dix.
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Nora Peachin was previously a reporting intern at the Addison County Independent, a local newspaper in Middlebury, Vermont. A Princeton native, she is a rising senior at Middlebury College, where she studies history and global health. She works as the senior local editor of the student newspaper and manages the student-run restaurant. When she's not writing, Nora enjoys cooking, hiking, and film photography.