By Andy Baker
Impact As of Monday, March 21st:
Fed 12,000 refugees at the border
Housed 1,600 people in transit
78 orphans and 110 adults in long-term care
Multiple trucks and vans of aid sent into Ukraine
We are grateful for what you have done to help over the last few weeks. The support has come from so many states. We have heard from Virginia in the east and California in the west. We have heard from Wisconsin in the north and Texas in the south. Social media has played a huge role in this, and I am grateful to everyone who is sharing our story and our commitment to sending 100% of every donation to the relief efforts we are coordinating in Romania for Ukrainian refugees.
To update our last report, we have a container of used clothing in partnership with another non-profit that will ship to the Ukrainian/Romanian border to help those who are crossing with only the clothes they are wearing. Many Romanians are already donating what they can to help with this. We also have linked with another non-profit to provide food packets to our border feeding stations. Hopefully we will be able to provide hot soup complete with all the vitamins and nutrients needed for a daily balanced diet in the coming days from this new partnership.
As of last count, we have hosted 1,600 refugees for multiple overnight stays. We have fed close to 12,000 refugees or refugee families as they have crossed the border. Just this week, the best count I received was that we housed 358 refugees, and then Saturday night we added 55 more to that total. At the border, we have also begun passing out hygiene kits and at the busiest crossing in our region, we have medical staff with first aid and medications available to those who are sick or hurt.
This coming week, we are sending a truck of food from Romania back into Ukraine. I have been asked what the costs are, and it equals about $10,000 with contents and the use of the truck including fuel expenses ($10.50 per gallon).
We have also purchased water filters that will be going back into Ukraine to begin filtering water at heavily populated areas (We can only travel so far safely into Ukraine). Water treatment currently is not functioning, and I am sure you are aware of the importance of clean drinking water. The cost of a filter is $300. I do have friends leaving Romania to travel into Ukraine to install these filters. They need our prayers for safety.
I leave you with a letter from a dear friend and colleague:
“We are thankful and grateful to God for His help and for your love and sacrifice and the many churches and many people who are supporting our efforts. We pray that everything that is being done through our efforts may glorify God and that these broken people can see beyond the sorrow they carry in their hearts to know that God loves them, and He cares for them.”
Blessings!