KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As families in Ukraine face an uncertain future, one East Tennessee church is providing them some relief.
Michael Lawson with Hardin Valley Church of Christ has traveled countless miles between East Tennessee and Ukraine.
"We have summer camps for children in Ukraine. We do moral and ethical training. We have been providing food for destitute children," he explained.
As the director of Ukraine Missions, Lawson has worked for years with children, teachers and translators.
"They are like family," he said.
33 trips and one decade later, one of them has quite literally become family.
"We have a future daughter-in-law," Lawson explained. His grandson proposed to a Ukrainian translator back in January.
They are doing what they can to get her to the states.
"Her and her mom fled Ukraine yesterday and they're in Romania now," Lawson said.
He recalled what it was like to wake up last week and find out Ukraine is under attack. "My hands were shaking, my fingers were white, my knees were shaking. It's a devastating experience."
Although Michael is not able to be there in person, he is doing what he can from thousands of miles away.
Outside the main entrance of the church, buckets are available for families to stop by and pick up, fill with essential items, and drop back off.
Inside, those buckets line the walls of the church waiting to be shipped.
"We put personal hygiene items and personal neat items in these buckets, load them on containers, and get those out of here," Lawson explained.
Those items will travel thousands of miles to help the people of Ukraine; the same trip Lawson has made plenty of times.
"This is the moment to step up and say I was made for this moment, I can help," he said. "And people can do that. And we're willing to serve as a conduit to help them do that."
The church prefers for people to provide their own five-gallon bucket filled with donations.
The buckets will be distributed in Ukraine, Poland and other locations.
Funds are also accepted. Checks should contain "Ukraine Relief" in the memo line and be dropped off at Hardin Valley Church of Christ on Hardin Valley Road.
A full list of items needed for donation is below:
- 3 hand towels (can be thinner ones)
- 3 dishcloths (can be thinner ones)
- 1 set/2 potholders
- 4 coffee mugs (used/clean or inexpensive are fine)
- Silverware (Fork, Dinner Spoon, Knife x 6)
- 1 box Kitchen matches
- 1 box emergency candles (or similar candles)
- 1 plastic clothesline/rope
- 1 Food Storage box (i.e. small plastic storage, Gladware, etc.)
- Paring knives
- 1 Strainer bowl
- 1 Cutting board (small to fit in a bucket)
- 1 vegetable cleaning brush
- 1 grater
- 1 scrubbing brush with hand grip
- 1 pkg. of 4 heavy-duty scouring pads
- 1 pair adult scissors
- 1 Bottle Dawn Dish soap (24 oz.)
- Band-Aids & antibiotic ointment
- Feminine hygiene products
- 1 bottle Dial antibacterial hand soap (personal size)
- 1 stick men’s deodorant (i.e. Speed Stick, etc.)
- 1 stick women’s deodorant (i.e. Lady Speed, etc.)
- 1 tube of toothpaste
- 3 packages of two count toothbrushes
- 1 bottle of shampoo (i.e. White Rain, Suave, etc.)
- 2 bars bath soap (i.e. Dial, Irish Spring, Zest, etc.)
- Other small items to fill empty space in buckets (such as small spiral note pads, pens, small flashlights, band-aids, small