Rick Beyerle, manager of the Willow Grove Baptist Food Pantry, announced today that a refugee family from Afghanistan was able to purchase reliable transportation so that the father, Mohammad Reza Hasani, can attend his new job in logistics in Eddystone (Delaware County).

On March 9, Beyerle shared a GoFundMe after the family began coming to the pantry for food assistance.

“With your help, Reza was able to purchase a 2018 Toyota Camry with under 60,000 miles on it (pictured below),” Beyerle said in a post. “Reza asked me to share with you his sincere thanks for reaching out to help their family get the automobile that they desperately needed to get to his new job. Thanks so much!!”

According to a Chestnut Hill Local article from January, the family fled the Taliban’s return to power, during which Hussain, Hasani’s older brother, was captured, tortured and killed by the Taliban while attempting to protect the family’s assets after their escape.

“After we left, my brother tried to transfer our assets and cars to a relative’s place, but our house was taken, and our assets were robbed,” said Hasani. “He tried to get out to Iran, but on the way, he was captured and killed.”

Hasani, 38, previously trained Afghan police officers in human rights and helped women escape domestic violence, the Local said. His wife Somayeh worked as a teacher from 2008 to 2016, educating girls in primary and middle schools. Their children — Nilofar, 13, Amir Mahdi, 12, and Amir Hafez, 3 — are preparing to start school in their new home.

“We are now happy and sure that we have saved our kids’ lives, and they now have a bright future in the U.S. We have found people very supportive here,” Hasani said.

To donate to the family’s GoFundMe, you can click here. $16,057 has been raised at the time of this writing.

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Photos: Facebook, GoFundMe