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Westminster Presbyterian Church in Johnson City will serve as the Tri-Cities sponsor and “drop point” for Crates for Ukraine (CFU), an international relief effort to aid citizens in war-torn Ukraine. Doug Shepherd in Ukraine – a missionary pastor in L’viv, supported by Westminster for many years – is spearheading the program as a way for U.S. churches and organizations to provide much-needed supplies to people suffering in the midst of the conflict.
Begun in 2022 through Mission to the World, CFU has already involved more than 200 U.S. churches, sending 2,600 crates with 62 tons of aid valued at more than $3,000,000. This fall’s goal is to have 300 churches provide funding for 1,500 crates by November 21.
The specially-designed crates are hand-packed with specific items requested by the L’viv church, such as medical supplies, clothing, and wound care items. These crate contents, purchased and packed by Westminster, will follow strict guidelines directed by the Ukraine leaders, for optimum transport and customs processing.
“We’re asking local churches, organizations and individuals to provide monetary donations toward this project,” said Dick Heydt, chairman of the CFU team at Westminster. “It’s a tangible way – really, one of the few direct ways – to send aid to individuals in Ukraine. All funds go directly to purchasing relief items.”
Checks should be made payable to Westminster and include “Crates for Ukraine” in the memo line; or, cash in an envelope marked for “Crates for Ukraine” may be dropped off at the Westminster office.
Heydt reported that matching cash gifts, up to $10,000, have already been offered.
“What a wonderful encouragement this will be to fellow believers in Ukraine working tirelessly to show the love of Christ through meeting material needs,” Heydt said. “We’re very excited about Crates for Ukraine and hope to see it become a community-wide effort.”
If you have any questions, please text or call Dick Heydt at (423) 341-7973.