MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — On Historic Mitchell Street, Mar Mar Lin works with Hunger Task Force to help refugees and other South side residents get the food benefits they need.
When she was 13, her family left Burma and settled in Thailand for three years to escape the military regime.
“You're not allowed to leave. You have to stay in there. If you leave, if they catch you, you could get punished,” said Lin.
After getting sponsored by a local church, she made it to Milwaukee as a refugee seeking asylum in 2001.
“23 years ago, there were not a lot of Burmese people in Milwaukee, and on top of that, there weren’t a lot of people my age,” said Lin.
Lin says she remembers how difficult it was for her mother when they first arrived.
“She didn't speak the language and she didn’t have any educational background, so she had to start at the lowest,” said Lin.
Seeing her parents work their way to owning their own business inspired her to want to help others.
“As a mother, I have three kids so I already understand things like that. So to be able to help the community, give that new family, refugee or immigrants that come in extra support, it just comes naturally,” said Lin.
Since coming on board, those who work with Lin say her impact is massive and critical for the thousands of people they serve.
“She has an open heart, she is amazing. She's down to earth and she will help you 100%,” said Helima Aichoume, Volunteer Coordinator, Hanan Refugees Relief Group.
“It's so important to just educate, educate, educate. Mar Mar does a tremendous job of that within the community,” said Allan Castillo, FoodShare Outreach Program Manager, Hunger Task Force.
Currently, eight main ethnic groups from Burma have resettled in Milwaukee in four of our city’s zip codes.
Since 2021, with Lin’s help, the Hunger Task Force has been able to serve more than 3,800 Burmese clients.
“It is sometimes a little bit complicated to understand everything that is available to you. But our team does a really good job of opening as many doors as possible to increase the amount of food resources that people have access to,” said Castillo.
Lin says the Burmese community has come a long way, but hopes her work inspires others to offer support.
“There are places that are helping us go above and beyond to help our Burmese community thrive in Milwaukee, but we still need a lot more help,” said Lin.
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