Catholic Charities is collecting airline miles to reunite refugee families

Washington D.C., Sep 20, 2018 / 11:14 am (CNA).- Catholic Charities USA has announced a new initiative to help refugees and people seeking asylum to reunite with their family members through donated airline miles.

The national charity organization is partnering with Miles4Migrants, a volunteer-run nonprofit that works to reunite families separated by conflict and persecution through donations of both money and miles.

Catholic Charities agencies will work to help Miles4Migrants identify refugees and people seeking asylum who have received government approval for migration travel but are in need to airfare to be reunited with their loved ones.

Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities, emphasized that the organization’s work is focused on “caring for the most vulnerable among us.”

“It is in that spirit that we support our agencies’ efforts to assist immigrants and refugees who arrive in this country,” she said in a Sept. 20 statement. “We are excited for the increased opportunity this partnership provides to reunite families separated at our borders.”

Catholic Charities USA represents 166 diocesan Catholic Charities agencies, many of which work locally with immigrants and refugees, through resettlement asssitance, foster care and other services.  

Seth Stanton, CEO and co-founder of Miles4Migrants, said he is excited about the partnership with Catholic Charities.

“Our shared mission and values around keeping families together create a strong foundation, and we look forward to working together to reunite many refugee and asylum seeking family members in the years to come,” he said in a statement.

Miles4Migrants has recently expanded its domestic operations to aid families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.