Kirovske (a city in the Ukraine’s Donetsk region), July 9, 2015
“These are very different people: some of them were left by their relatives, others are simply very old, lonely and feeble people,” relates Rector of the Church of St. John of Kronstadt in Kirovske Father George. “We only bring food to some of them and they cook it themselves. Among them there are even several former “big bosses” who once were mine superintendents, but now they are aged and needed by nobody. There is one old woman who during the World War II went through three concentration camps. All in all, we are helping everyone”.
The Church of St. John of Kronstadt in Kirovske (the Donetsk region) was destroyed on August 23, 2014: during an evening service a shell hit the church building. As a result 3 people were killed and 7 seriously injured. Services are currently held in the Sunday school which is still unfinished. However, despite its own critical situation, the congregation nevertheless finds an opportunity to support those who are in a worse situation.
“We mostly give food to the people who cannot take care of themselves,” the church rector, Archpriest George Tsyganov, recounts. “We cook food at home and our volunteers deliver it to the houses of the most needy. Thus we provide over 50 people with food, and more than 20 people take regular meals in our dining-room.”
We received information on the most needy residents from the housing and communal services. Then the volunteers verified and supplemented it. Thus, the list of the city residents who are in need of aid was formed, reports the Pravlife.org portal.
“Our food is adequate,” the priest relates. “For those who are bedridden we even cook meals of milk and meat products. The “Favor” charitable foundation has provided us with food, but our real problem is medicines. The pharmacies are near-empty, and what they have is extremely expensive”.
In addition to this, the parish is in acute need of building materials and funds for carrying out restoration of the destroyed church.
The St. John Church’s congregation joined “the Mission of Mercy and Reconciliation” program of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC MP) and the “Favor” charitable foundation in spring.
The fundraising for the Donbass charity dining-rooms is going on the website bf-favor.org.
