Chernivtsi Eparchy of UOC deliveres 10 tons of aid to Sviatohirsk Lavra

Residents of Sviatohirsk Lavra unload humanitarian cargo from Chernivtsi region. Photo: svlavra.church.ua

On October 25, 2023, around 10 tons of humanitarian aid were delivered from the Chernivtsi-Bukovнna Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to the Holy Assumption Sviatohirsk Lavra. This aid is intended for the residents of the monastery and refugees residing there. This was reported by the press service of the Lavra.

The delivery includes three tons of canned goods, various food items, baked goods, household chemicals (cleaning products, soap, detergents, and more), clothing, footwear, building materials, bird feed, and much more.

The collection of aid, organized with the blessing of Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna by volunteer Oksana (christened Maria) Tsyuga, involved donors from the Chernivtsi and Ternopil regions, Germany, Belgium, and the United States.

Accoridng to the volunteer, among the contributors, special recognition goes to Orthodox Christians from the villages of Chahor, Koroviya, and Molodiya, who undertook the labor of canning 700 three-liter jars of vegetables. Additionally, one of the faithful donated 500 croissants, 100 kg of cookies and honey, and other benefactors provided plastic and metal barrels.

The collection and transportation of humanitarian aid for the Sviatohirsk Lavra also received assistance from fellow believers from the Ternopil region. Specifically, the Ternopil Eparchy donated winter clothes, rubber boots, raincoats, and laundry detergent, while the abbess of the Kremenets Theophany Monastery, Abbess Dimitriya, once again provided a monastery car for transporting humanitarian cargo.

Funds amounting to 50,000 hryvnias (UAH) received from Ukrainian donors through a volunteer's bank card were used to purchase oil paint and stabilizing reinforced film, essential for repairing the Lavra's premises. This film was used to cover the Assumption Cathedral, which suffered damage from shelling on October 11.

Foreign donors were also actively involved in contributing to the humanitarian aid. Orthodox believers in Berlin collected 1,000 euros for the needs of the monks, which were used to purchase vegetables for canning. A resident of California sent office equipment, shoes, and various items. A native of Bukovyna, now residing in Belgium, donated onion seeds, garlic, and onion bulbs for planting, as well as tulip bulbs. In addition, the charitable organization "Help On 12 Wheels EV" from Cologne sent 300 kg of canned goods, other food items, and household chemicals to the Sviatohirsk Lavra.

As previously reported by the UOJ, on September 28, 2023, 25 tons of humanitarian aid were delivered to the Sviatohirsk Lavra from the Vinnytsia Eparchy of the UOC.

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