People That Move Us: The Founder of Miry’s List

Miry Whitehill-Ben Atar is a standout stay-at-home mom who is making a difference in the lives of recent refugees to the U.S., particularly in the lives of their young children. From the first moment we connected to assist her non-profit called Miry’s List, Miry Whitehill-Ben Atar has been moving us with her incredible efforts.

Refugee families leave their war-torn home countries to come to the United States to escape violence and persecution. They leave everything they own and know. However, when these well-vetted families arrive in the U.S., they don’t have access to simple necessities. Children are left without diapers, beds, clothes, food, etc. Miry became aware of this in 2016 when she met a family of refugees from Syria. She visited the family and quickly discovered they did not have basic childcare needs for their young children. They also needed household supplies. “Recent arrivals” is the term Miry prefers we call refugees who have made it here to safety and are now proud to call the United States home. Often, the recent arrivals don’t have a warm welcome mat put at their door. Instead, the children are sleeping on the floor and babies are sleeping in baskets. Miry was so impacted by their living conditions that she posted on her personal Facebook page asking her friends to donate items for the children. Miry’s friends were moved by her story and she quickly had many donations.