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18 “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ВЕРЕСЕНЬ 2009 A Gift for St. Nicholas the Wonderworker by Lilia Kovalenko In these difficult economic and political times in Ukraine, St. Nicolas the Wonderworker Ch urch located near Askoldova Mohyla in Kyiv is helping the city’s disadvantaged by distributing much needed food and clothing. A Food & Clothing Bank was launched last October for individuals and families living in Kyiv’s Pechersk district. Econo - mic declin e and rising food prices has made access to healthy foods and proper clothing very difficult for many, and St. Nicolas the Wonderworker is doing all it can to address these growing social issues and needs to help the community and to continue its mission i n Kyiv. Among those the organization serves are the elderly, the homeless, single parents and large, low - income families with up to 10 children. From the start, donations were stored in the church’s warehouse 19 , where they quickly began to degrade and spo il due to excessive moisture in the old building. The only way to organize the items was to store them in cardboard boxes and plastic shopping bags. Much of the clothing, however, had to be thrown out before the New Year because of rot and mold caused by t he moist conditions. Donations stored in Warehouse 19 After conducting some research on how to keep such items dry, since bulldozing the old building and rebuilding a new one is out of the question, I realized that the church could use large plastic bi ns to store the food and clothing donations. The containers are a rarity in Kyiv; even if you can find them, they are extremely expensive. At the same time, I realized that Sterilite boxes are a great way to keep all the items dry. These bins are amazingly sturdy, durable, and will withstand wear and tear for many years to come. A very important feature of these boxes is the latches that keep them airtight, so that moisture does not seep in and ruin the contents. Last December, I sent out a request for help to preserve the food and clothing, and the UNWLA was quick to respond to my call for action, generously purchasing 28 large, 116 quart Sterilite storage bins. It has made an immediate and signifi - cant difference in the lives of needy Kyivans. The church r eceived two bulk shipments in March, and the bins were immediately organized and filled with food and clothing over the following couple of weeks. The UNWLA was able to purchase the containers in January and they sent them through MEEST by sea, and the box es went through customs and arrived in Kyiv within 8 weeks. Before each Sunday Liturgy, one of the priests pulls out a UNWLA container and sets it next to the entrance of the church so that parishioners can donate food items for the program. This new conc ept of physically bringing food to church has become a great success. Within a matter of a few Sundays, the bins began to overflow. Goods like flour, oil, rice, buckwheat, tea are common donations, since these are basic items used in daily cooking. Some pe ople donate cookies and candy for the children. The bins have, in fact, become an integral part of the Food & Clothing Bank, and the church’s program could not have continued without direct donation from the UNWLA. One recipient of the Food & Clothing Ban k’s assistance commented to me, “If it wasn’t for this program, my family and I would not be able to make it through the month.” Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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