Union Congregational Church aiding Ukraine relief efforts
Union Congregational Church in Montclair is dedicating its Easter offering to emergency needs in Ukraine through a connection with United 4 Ukraine and one of that group’s doctors, a release by the church says.
United 4 Ukraine was started by Ukrainian-American doctors at Yale Medical School, and one of them, Dr. Andrey Zinchuk, a critical-care pulmonologist, is the closest long-time friend of the Rev. David Shaw, senior minister at Union Congregational.
This past Sunday, Shaw and Zinchuk engaged in a one-on-one conversation during the service at Union Congregational Church to highlight the church’s Easter offering to help raise money for United 4 Ukraine.
Zinchuk’s group started three weeks ago and is currently scaling up in coordination with other Ukrainian doctors based in the United States.
Through the doctor’s connections with key hospital staff in Ukraine, he is able to identify small-scale, rapid medical responses to fill gaps in established non-governmental organization efforts.
The church is hoping to raise enough money to purchase and deliver an ultrasound machine for a Ukrainian hospital in need. A recent delivery, coordinated by Zinchuk’s team, included dialysis supplies, delivered within three days of request, that were immediately used to take care of wounded soldiers. Other recent deliveries include large IVs, breathing tubes, drainage tubes and other critical-care supplies.
The church has also raised $1,000 to help a particular family in Ukraine in addition to the ways it is supporting organizations that are serving the wider community. The church has connected with someone in New Jersey who has a cousin whose daughter is wheelchair-bound and lived in Odessa, Ukraine, with her family before they left the country after the war began.
The family continues to raise funds for the wheelchair, which when purchased will improve their mobility and open up more options for permanent housing.
During Lent, the church made a commitment to helping the citizens of Ukraine by committing $5,000 split equally between United Help Ukraine and Razom. Both are 501(c)3 organizations formed and run by Ukrainian Americans, focused on providing humanitarian aid.
For more information on the church’s relief efforts or to donate: unionhelpsukraine.com.