By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
St. John Neumann School in Miami announced its fundraiser for Ukraine on its Instagram page.
MIAMI | Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami is joining with groups in South Florida and around the world to help Ukrainians fleeing the Russian bombardment of their country.
An Aid to Ukrainian Refugees button has been added to Catholic Charities' home page where monetary donations can be made via PayPal or through a debit or credit card. The button notes that "more than 2.8 million people have already fled the crisis in Ukraine. Most with only what they could carry. Your donation will help us provide immediate aid and recovery efforts for Ukrainian refugees in the countries bordering Ukraine and throughout the world, including those arriving to the metropolitan Miami area."
Closer to the conflict, Catholic Relief Services and its Caritas partners on the ground are ready, across Ukraine and in bordering countries, to provide safe shelter, hot meals, hygiene supplies, transport to safe areas, counseling and more.
CRS and its partners, Caritas Poland, Caritas Moldova and Caritas Romania, are assisting Ukrainians crossing into those countries for safety. Caritas Ukraine, with support from CRS, has been providing emergency relief and recovery inside the embattled nation.
According to CRS, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has left more than 2.9 million people in need of assistance, with great risk of additional suffering both within Ukraine and for those who are fleeing to neighboring countries for safety.
The United Nations reported March 8, 2022 that 2 million people had left Ukraine, making this the "fastest-growing" refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. Years of conflict along the country's eastern border had already displaced 1.3 million people from their homes and claimed 14,000 lives.
Some local Catholic schools are pitching in to help. St. John Neumann in Miami, for example, has created an Amazon Wishlist of materials that students and their families can purchase for those affected by the war. Belen Jesuit Prep hosted a fundraiser, asking students to contribute $5 each and wear yellow or blue t-shirts — the colors of the Ukrainian flag — to help Ukrainian refugees. The money collected will be sent to Jesuit Refugee Services.
And at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary-St. Richard Church in Palmetto Bay, Third Order Trinitarians have raised thousands of dollars so far to help Trinitarian monasteries and religious houses in Poland that are providing a safe haven for hundreds of refugees, adults and children, displaced by the war.
Donations also can be made directly to CRS:
- Online: support.crs.org/ukraine.
- By phone: 1-877-HELP-CRS.
- By check: Ukraine Response, Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, Maryland 21297-0303.
This article was updated March 8, 2022 to reflect the latest number of refugees; and March 15, 2022 to reflect the Catholic Charities collection and the efforts by Belen Jesuit Prep and the Third Order Trinitarians at Holy Rosary-St. Richard Parish.
