The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2020

66 JULY-AUGUST 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Evacuees Shop Free Ann La Porta ■ Washington, D.C. When the State Department announced a global authorized departure for some posts and an ordered departure for others, families flooded into the Washington metropolitan area with suitcases in hand and toddlers in tow. Some traveled to their safe haven addresses since they could telework from anywhere, while others stayed locally, crammed into small, sparsely furnished apartments and forced to shelter in place along with everyone else in the region. As chair of the Evacuee Support Network of the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide, a volunteer organiza- tion that has been supporting foreign affairs families for 60 years, I was soon contacted by the Junior League of Washington. Their chief fundraising event, a huge rummage sale called Tossed and Found, had to be canceled because of the pandemic, and they were left with a giant warehouse filled with goods. The Junior League was offering access to these goods for free to foreign affairs families who had been evacuated. All we had to do was find the customers, a task easier said than done. In February, our support network had been able to contact the China evacuees because some of our AAFSWmembers knew the community liaison office coordinators there. We had assisted about 30 families, but this was now a global undertaking, and we were unsure how to connect with evacuees in from other posts. Fortunately, Jenny Kocher, who monitors our social media and is also co-chair of the AAFSW Foreign Born Spouse group, found a Facebook group dedicated to evacuees and those wishing to help. Bingo. We were in business. Kelly Hunter, co-chair of Tossed and Found, daughter of State Department employees and granddaughter of an FSO, together with her very busy and dedicated committee welcomed more than 130 families into the Junior League’s Crystal City warehouse. Bikes and exercise equipment were in high demand. Kitchen supplies and gadgets flew off the shelves. Children’s toys, games, puzzles and books were almost depleted—anything to keep little ones occupied during isolation. Although the warehouse has been packed up now, those fam- ilies who “shopped” are eternally grateful. The AAFSW Evacuee Support Network has about 100 volunteers who stand ready to help more evacuees if they still have wish lists. Ann La Porta is a member of the board of the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide, AAFSW co-liaison to AFSA and spouse of Ambassador (ret.) Alphonse La Porta. She has been chair of the AAFSW Evacuee Support Network since its founding in 1984 (with time off for foreign postings) and is a member of the Special Needs Education Allowance Task Force and a volunteer for the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project. Visit aafsw.org to find more ways AAFSW supports the FS com- munity and to join. Ashley Hayes, on evacuation from Mexico, “shopping” at the Junior League of Washington’s Tossed and Found. COURTESYOFANNLAPORTA Although the warehouse has been packed up now, those families who “shopped” are eternally grateful.