TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Organizations providing relief support for Afghan refugees say more people can help by simply taking time to learn about the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Groups like Catholic Charities Jacksonville are preparing to handle a surge of over 150 Afghan refugees, who'll need basics like food, housing and jobs as they begin their new lives in the community in the next few months.

Matt Schmitt, associate director for the group, said at the same time, he has been trying to help clear up some misunderstandings that stem, in part, from the name of the effort: the Afghan Parolee Support Program.

"People are worried that the refugees that are coming from Afghanistan are a security threat," Schmitt explained. "They're concerned that the term 'parolee,' by the way, it sounds like someone who's been released from jail or from prison, and that is the farthest from the truth."

Schmitt explained the terms are used by the federal government as subcategories for refugees, such as someone on a Special Immigrant Visa, a 'parolee' or 'asylee,' and they have no connection to the criminal justice system. He added all refugees will be completely vetted through the U.S. State Department before being sent to resettlement areas like Jacksonville.

Schmitt urged people to do more research, by visiting his organization's website or searching online for the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Department of State, and other sources to keep up with what's going on.

"And then after that, feel free to get involved," Schmitt emphasized. "We're doing humanitarian work. If you were in this situation, wouldn't you like to have someone reach out, you know? It's 'help a brother out,' that's what I've been saying lately, help a brother out."

Schmitt pointed out the Catholic Charities of Jacksonville website has information about how to help. They need gently used furniture and household items. People can also volunteer their time, or donate money and specify that it go directly to resettlement efforts.

The State Department named Jacksonville among the top 19 "welcoming cities" for refugees, but organizations in other parts of the state also are gearing up to help with resettlement.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- More than a month after the sudden fall of Kabul led to tens of thousands of Afghans becoming refugees overnight, groups are ready to help about 100 of them build new lives in Arkansas.

As part of federal efforts, refugee-resettlement organization Canopy Northwest Arkansas will help about 50 Afghans find new homes in the region, and Catholic Charities of Arkansas will also resettle about 50 people in the central part of the state.

Hannah Lee, director of community engagement at Canopy, said the group has worked closely with Gov. Asa Hutchinson's office to coordinate the arrival of families as soon as mid-October.

Lee explained one of the first things the group does is make sure they have a safe, affordable home that is furnished.

"Things like towels and utensils, those small pieces just to really make sure that it feels like home as much as possible, because that transition is going to be absolutely jarring," Lee reported. "We're talking about such a quick turnaround time from the moment that the Taliban took over their country to the day they arrive in the United States."

Lee noted Canopy also matches families with what the organization calls "co-sponsors," a team of six to eight people who commit to being by their side for six months while they transition to their new community. They will help them with things such as transportation, finding child care, and more.

Many of the recently arrived Afghan refugees are currently under humanitarian parole status, which limits the types of public benefits and financial assistance they can receive. Lee pointed out because of this, the organization can greatly benefit from help to find housing for families.

"For folks that have connections with landlords that own Airbnb rentals, that maybe you yourself own some apartment units, that is probably the most impactful way someone can get involved with Canopy right now," Lee urged. "That's our most pressing need."

A few weeks ago, Canopy hosted a supply drive to create welcome kits for soon-to-be Arkansans. The kits include everyday household items, and the group encouraged people to include a handwritten note, welcoming families to the state.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah officials and private agencies are preparing to assist refugees from Afghanistan when they arrive in the Beehive State.

Utah is one of 19 states designated to receive Afghan refugees in the coming weeks and months. Agencies such as the state's Refugee Resettlement Office and groups such as Catholic Community Services and the International Rescue Committee are lining up local volunteers and services to assist the immigrants.

Aden Batar, director of migration and refugee services for Catholic Community Services of Utah, said the Afghan refugees are a special group.

"The Afghan refugees that are coming to the United States, these are individuals who put their lives on the line helping our U.S. forces in Afghanistan for so many years," Batar pointed out. "I think this is the smallest thing we can do by helping them and their families."

He explained once they are evacuated from Afghanistan, the refugees will fly to a third country for initial processing, and then will be brought to one of several intake sites in the United States for additional vetting.

Batar noted while there is no firm date for when the first group of refugees will arrive, he said Utah agencies are preparing to receive them in the near future.

"Some states already started getting some books, but, Utah, I will say we are still waiting," Batar observed. "I will say, probably in the next week or in the next weeks, we should be getting some families arriving here in Utah."

Batar stressed Utah assistance agencies are looking for homes to place the refugees, agencies that can assist them with basic living needs such as clothes and furniture, and monetary donations to help the families settle in.

"Special immigrant visa holders; those are the ones that have worked with the U.S. forces in Afghanistan getting their permanent residency," Batar emphasized. "So we have been appealing to our community to donate, so we can provide the services to this vulnerable group that are in need."

He added many of the Afghanis left the country with little more than the clothes on their backs and whatever they could carry in a small bag. To help, contact Catholic Community Services or the International Rescue Committee offices in Utah.

NEW YORK -- Buffalo and New York City are among the U.S. sites where demonstrators are gathering this week to convince Germany's leader to reconsider her position on COVID-19 vaccine patents.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets with President Joe Biden today. Trade groups want to capture her attention by calling for a waiver of trade-related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) for the vaccines, to allow greater access for developing countries.

The U.S. supports it, but Germany remains opposed.

George Kimball, New York state director of the Citizens Trade Campaign, said it is a big opportunity to pressure a world leader to do the right thing.

"Based on the CDC and the World Health Organization (WTO), there needs to be 15 to 20 billion vaccines produced to vaccinate the world," Kimball noted. "And Pfizer, Moderna, J & J (Johnson & Johnson) don't have that capacity. So, we have to, you know, share the technology."

For its part, Germany cited factors such as quality control and manufacturing supply in not advancing the waiver. The demonstrations come the same week the global death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed four million. New York City's demonstration was held yesterday; Buffalo's is today.

In the U.S., some racial groups have faced barriers in accessing COVID vaccinations, but public health officials say it's now widely available across the country. That isn't the case in low- and middle-income nations.

Dr. Pauline Muchina, representative for Africa at the American Friends Service Committee, hopes Merkel is convinced to drop Germany's opposition.

"The fact that many countries, like my home country of Kenya, will not receive full vaccines until 2024 is very, very unjust, and all of us are not safe until we are all safe," Muchina argued.

TRIPS was waived by the WTO in 2003 to allow the import of cheaper, generic drugs into developing
countries that lack manufacturing capacity, a change made permanent in 2017.

Chancellor Merkel's visit comes days ahead of a W-T-O meeting to decide the issue.