A Huge Thanks to RPCV-Madison for Freeze for Food

406 runners and 50 volunteers participated in the event last Saturday, taking part in a 5k or 10k marathon by Lake Wingra. Roughly $15k has been donated – thanks all who participated! Check out the Freeze for Food Facebook page for more photos and post about it if you were able to attend!

Volunteers Needed for Donation Pickup and Data Migration

Update 1/13/23: Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help with data migration! Open Doors is no longer seeking volunteers for the data migration team, but welcomes you to visit the Volunteer page to find out about other ways you can support Open Doors’ mission. Open Doors is looking for volunteers to pick up […]

Fall Fun with WNIM

Who’s New in Madison (WNIM), one of Madison’s oldest and most active social clubs, has selected Open Doors for Refugees as its 2022-2023 service partner. After kicking off the partnership in September with two successful fundraisers, WNIM has come up with even more creative ways to support Open Doors. Led by WNIM’s Service Committee dynamos […]

Fall/Winter Donation Needs

Looking to donate warm winter clothing? Open Doors for Refugees and JSS Resettlement maintain a supply of winter outerwear that is provided to newcomers when they first arrive in Madison. These donations are vital, as they help our new neighbors during their first Wisconsin winter. The items that are most needed are listed below. We […]

“Who’s New” Selects Open Doors

Who’s New in Madison (WNIM) has selected Open Doors for Refugees as its 2022-2023 service partner. One of Madison’s oldest and most active social clubs, Who’s New is a women’s group with 600 members who participate in 65 different activity groups, from book clubs to kayaking. Every year the Who’s New board selects a non-profit […]

Meet Aziz

Aziz and his family arrived in Madison from Afghanistan in 2015. In 2021, thanks to his proficiency in English, Dari, and Pashto, he was chosen to work as an interpreter at Fort McCoy’s receiving center for Afghans who were fleeing due to the U.S. military’s sudden departure. Aziz was central to the movement of 12,600 […]

Freeze for Food – A Big Success

After a COVID year of running virtually, over 360 runners, joggers and walkers, accompanied by toddlers, dogs and cheering fans, turned out for a day of unusual weather and a successful fundraising event in Vilas Park, Madison. For the sixth consecutive year, Freeze for Food Walk/Run sponsors and the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Madison […]

Bird Watching at Tenney Park

This Sunday, we had families join us to go bird watching at Tenney Park! The weather was absolutely beautiful with an afternoon sun and clear skies. We first walked along the river where we saw Mallards and Canadian Geese. Some Mallards even came up onto the bank to greet us. The kids loved it and […]

Gift Cards from the Lodi United Methodist Church

This is a welcome sight! As part of their 2021 Giving Tree Program, members of the Lodi United Methodist Church recently sent us 25 $25 cards gift cards from Walmart, Target, and Woodman’s.  These will all go directly to refugees. As part of our Home Supply program, in addition to a set of cleaning and paper […]

Open Door’s 50th Home

We’re 50!!! Yesterday Open Doors for Refugees, with the help of several folks from Jewish Social Services, set up our 50th apartment for an arriving family. Well, this one’s a house actually (a very rare occurrence for us), and it’s for a family of eight – two parents and their six children. Perhaps it’s not […]