UOC volunteers deliver 15 tons of humanitarian aid to Sviatohirsk Lavra
Faithful of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy collected food, building materials, and household supplies for monasteries damaged by shelling.
On March 23, volunteers from the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy delivered a shipment of humanitarian aid weighing about 15 tons to the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra. In addition to the Lavra, assistance will also be provided to the St. John Skete in the village of Adamivka and the Holy Protection Convent in the city of Lyman, the UOC's Informaiton Center reports.
The shipment included more than 2.5 tons of fruit, a ton of cabbage, dried fruit, hygiene products, and household chemicals. For the pilgrims’ guesthouse, where displaced people are currently living, volunteers brought a vacuum cleaner, 200 cups, and other supplies. With the blessing of Metropolitan Longin of Bancheny, the Bancheny Holy Ascension Monastery donated 300 kilograms of dairy products and eggs.
In addition to food, believers from Bukovyna delivered building materials to the monastery: five cubic meters of boards and roofing tarps. These materials are needed for urgent repairs to monastery buildings damaged during shelling of Sviatohirsk. A hydraulic press and feed for the monastery’s poultry yard were also brought for the Lavra’s needs.
The aid collection was organized with the blessing of Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna. According to the organizer of the effort, Oksana (Maria) Tsiuha, donations came from across Ukraine, while local business owners regularly provide monasteries with part of their produce. The volunteers plan to make their next trip to the Holy Mountains closer to Pascha in order to bring festive foods for believers.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that church property stolen from a skete had been returned to the Sviatohirsk Lavra.
