St. John’s Outreach Announces Matching Grant in Response to Ukraine Crisis
St. John’s Outreach is actively responding to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine and it’s neighboring countries. The sudden outpouring of refugees trying to escape the conflict (3 million and counting as of this writing, mostly women and children) will require sustained help from the broader world community.
We believe that the most useful thing we can do right now is to provide funding to relief organizations that are already well-positioned in that part of the world and that have a strong track record of getting help where it needs to go. We have chosen to support two very effective organizations whose work is well-aligned with Outreach’s mission and with whom we have partnered in the past:
- International Rescue Committee https://www.rescue.org
- Save the Children https://savethechildrenli.org
To give parishioners a voice in directing these funds, and, more importantly, to magnify our impact, Outreach and the Rector’s Discretionary Fund will match parishioner donations to these organizations for the next 30 days (until April 8th), up to a maximum of $5,000. To participate in the matching campaign, simply email us at [email protected] with a brief note saying to which organization you have donated, how much, on what date, and we will match it. A 1:1 match doubles your donation!
There are many organizations doing great work worthy of our individual support (some examples: Doctors without Borders, the US Ukraine Foundation, Unicef, the Red Cross, and the Northwell Global Health Center’s Ukraine Initiative). There also continue to be many inspiring rapid-response efforts, some sponsored by the local Ukrainian community. We will keep you informed of other resources as we become aware of them, and encourage parishioners to share any they know of as well.
And let’s continue to pray:
God of peace, help us to lay down our weapons and use our arms for their true purpose: to hold, to love, to comfort, to encourage, to build. Make all of us at St. John’s instruments of your healing and hope in a troubled world.
Questions or comments? Contact: Laura Swiggett, [email protected]
