Winter Help in Serbia

Winter came bringing cold and with it many families were affected. One such sad story is from Kragujevac where a young mother of two, afflicted with serious illness and no financial means, had no way of buying firewood for winter. She just had a serious surgery which was life-saving but she was destitute. Through the contact with her parish priest Goran Djerkovic, we provided a delivery of seven cubic meters of firewood for the winter, paid for the cutting and delivery of the same. We also purchased some food and hygiene supplies for the family. We received a heart-warming note from the mother thanking us for providing warmth for her children.

Father Radivoje Panic, Archpriest of the St. Sava Temple in Belgrade visits for Our Serbs Slava

Father Radivoje Panic, Archpriest of the St. Sava Temple in Belgrade has been collaborating with Our Serbs for many years. When Kathy Fanslow and other members of Our Serbs go to visit, Father Panic takes them throughout Serbia to visit many families in need of assistance.

Father Panic arrived this fall in Florida to serve liturgy at the St. George Church. Our Serbs received the blessing of Bishop Irinej to have Father Panic visit Chicago and serve liturgy at the celebration of Our Serbs’ Slava St. Petka. This was also a good occasion to welcome three new members the board of Our Serbs: Ms. Rada Sarac Stanic, Ms. Vera Bjelopetrovic and Mr. Aleks Lazic.

Due to Covid restrictions Slava was limited to the service and instead of the usual luncheon, boxed meals were available only for takeout. All the food that day was provided through the generosity of our new board member, Mr. Aleks Lazic.

From the celebration of Our Serbs Slava St. Petka, some of the board members with Fr. Radivoj Panic at the St. Basil Serbian Orthodox Church in Lake Forest, IL

Help with Women's Center "Milica"

For several years Our Serbs has been working with the Women’s Center “Milica” which is an organization helping women with breast cancer. They do an amazing job providing not only moral support but also forum for the education on breast cancer and a place of assistance. The Center was in need of some basic office equipment and this December we were able to provide them with a badly needed copying machine.

We wish them the best in the year to come.

Delivery to Soup Kitchen in Belgrade

This was also a month in which we assisted in providing the Soup kitchen in Belgrade with purchase of cheese from The Decani monastery. Our Serbs bought the cheese which was delivered to the soup kitchen thus providing them with a good product while also helping our holy brothers at the monastery who made it.

Morava River flooded in Arilje

A family lost everything when the surging waters ran through their home carrying everything along, leaving children without all of their school materials. Their plea to us was not for toys or clothing but for school supplies.

Our Serbs provided them with a new laptop completely loaded with software while their municipality will build them a new home.

Using this as an example during the fall, there was a joint effort by Our Serbs and the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Chicago to collect funds and purchase more laptops/computers for the school children in Serbia.

Christ is Born!

Christmas giving of gifts to the children from large families this year was carried out in pandemic conditions without the organization of traditional Christmas academy in the crypt of the Saint Sava Temple.

We have prepared and distributed Christmas packages for children from ninety multi-child families of whom, thank God, from year to year there are more and more. Religious Charitable Guardianship regularly meets new families with many children and provides them with support in its own unique way.

Some of the families were not able to come and pick up the packages, so we sent packages to them with help of other families, and their gratitude to God was not absent and they sent photos of their happy little ones. Humanitarian organization "Our Serbs - Our Serbs" from Chicago provided money for the purchase of packages and together, with those families with many children we are sending them the happiest Christmas greetings with the hope that the Lord will give them health, a long life and faith in Him.

https://starateljstvo.rs/hristos-se-rodi/

Christmas Lunch for the Beneficiaries of the Church Kitchen

In moments of global crisis, when the world is facing many plagues due to alienation from God and when more and more people are in a difficult financial situation and without real support, as Christians we have an obligation to give our maximum contribution to alleviating the difficult situation of the most endangered. The Archbishopric of Belgrade and Karlovac, through its humanitarian organization Religious Charitable Guardianship, has been finding ways to help large families, single parents and all those in need for years. Thus, again this year the traditional distribution of Christmas food packages to all users of the Church kitchen was organized.

The joy of Christmas always inspires Christians (benefactors and volunteers) in selfless work. Therefore, the humanitarian organization Our Serbs from Chicago provided funds for the preparation of the traditional Christmas lunch. The action was supported by Dairy Spasojević from Bajina Basta with a donation of cheese, then Mercator Center with a donation of juices, a family company from Borča that has been donating cakes for years and the Nikolić family that has been cooking for the beneficiaries of the Church; they packed all the roasts and participated in the donation of the same. We also owe our gratitude to our volunteers who in the previous days prepared preparations for the supplements for lunch packages (cookies). or over 2000 eggs, prepared a salad, cut bread), packed everything and helped with the division. With all this,

We also had the honor of taking part in the distribution of the package by the health workers from the Ambulance, who were brought the day before. or groceries that will be distributed with Christmas packages to children from large families. 
May the infant Christ give every good to the merciful benefactors of the Church's kitchen, and may all of you who read this news greet you. with the happiest Christian greeting: 
PEACE OF GOD - CHRIST IS BORN!

https://starateljstvo.rs/bozicni-rucak-za-korisnike-crkvene-kuhinje/