A Korean church in Maryland donated $20,125 to Food for the Hungry on Thanksgiving Sunday to help Syrian Christian refugees.
New Hope Church, located in Burtonsville, MD, was able to raise money through charity yard sales, and submitted the donation to Food for the Hungry's Korean American office.
"The church didn't necessarily have a financial abundance at this point since it was going through construction for a new sanctuary," explained one of the organizers of the charity yard sale. "But helping wanderers and orphans is one of the church's basic callings. This year once again, we've all come together to help those in need all over the world."
According to Food for the Hungry International (FHI), which has been supporting refugee camps, about half of Syria's civilians have become refugees due to the civil war that has been ongoing for four years. 50 percent of those refugees are under the age of 15, and 10 percent of the casualties from the civil war were children. According to UN's refugee agency, some 70 percent of the refugees are living in extreme poverty.
Food for the Hungry has been operating protection facilities for women and children to prevent them from being exposed to violence, and churches and schools in the camps have been offering classes on specific skill sets.
"We've been focusing on providing support for Syrian Christian families that have been fleeing from ISIS' occupied territories," said Seung Ho Chung, the executive secretary of Food for the Hungry's Korean American office. "It costs about $670 per month for a refugee family to live from their tents," he added, and encouraged churches to support their cause.
