Want to help relief efforts in Ukraine? You can pitch in through these Idaho churches
As Russia’s invasion into Ukraine nears the one-month mark, organizations from around the world have looked for ways to help assist Ukrainians as millions of people flee to Western Europe while hundreds of thousands more remain behind to fight for their country.
Despite being over 5,700 miles away from Ukraine, churches in Idaho have stepped up in their efforts to aid the Ukrainian cause. From offering ways to donate to enrolling in international programs to help refugees in Europe, here are some Idaho-based churches that are stepping up.
This list will be updated by the Idaho Statesman as more information becomes available. Please email Sgoodwin@idahostatesman.com if you would like to add a church’s relief efforts to this list.
Full Gospel Slavic Church: Based in Meridian, Idaho, the Full Gospel Slavic Church is a Christian Slavic church that holds most of its services in Russian or Ukrainian. The church’s senior pastor, Walter Kinakh, is a refugee from the Soviet Union.
The church held an item collection last week asking for non-perishable foods, first aid supplies, baby items and other survival essentials. The church is also still accepting online donations that will be used directly for humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Vineyard Boise: A Christian church based in Garden City, Idaho, Vineyard Boise has partnered with non-profit Wide Awake International. Wide Awake works with individuals with disabilities in Ukraine through permanent residents in Ukraine as well as live-in assistants who can volunteer to assist in Ukraine.
Wide Awake has made the decision to move out of Ukraine for the safety of everyone involved with the organization, but volunteer options are still available within the organization. A live-in assistant would be asked to help adults with intellectual and physical disabilities with at least a one-year commitment.
Hill City Church: Hill City Church is a Christian church in Idaho that has partnered with the organization Josiah Venture, which is helping provide safe transportation out of Ukraine and into safe housing in surrounding countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic.
Those who want to help with the Josiah Venture relief effort can donate money directly to the organization.
There are three options that Josiah Venture offers for donations; A general fund that supports the work of local teams and churches in Ukraine, a direct aid into the country that helps send food and medical supplies to those still inside the country, and a fund to help get refugees out of Ukraine.
First Presbyterian Church of Sandpoint: Located in the Idaho Panhandle, the First Presbyterian Church of Sandpoint is working directly with the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance which is donating to aid in Ukraine.
Gifts and donations can be sent to Ukraine through the disaster assistance program in a number of ways: Individuals can text “PDAUKR” to 41444, at the website pcusa.org/UK22 or by phone at (800) 872-3283. Those wishing to donate can also print off an online form and mail it to the address attached to the form or return it with their gift to their local Presbyterian church.
Utah Idaho Southern Baptist Convention: The UISBC is a collection of Southern Baptist churches in Utah and Idaho. The convention is currently offering the chance for people to donate to Polish Baptists who are helping displaced families from Ukraine in Poland and ten other border nations.
The UISBC has a number of baptist associations in Idaho, including the Treasure Valley. The Treasure Valley association includes over 20 churches and a full list can be found on the association’s website.
This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 2:00 PM.
