'Next stop, Ukraine:' West Texas groups donate 2 million meals from Lubbock
A shipping container filled with 44,000 lbs. of food for Ukraine left Lubbock last week thanks to the efforts of several West Texas organizations.
About 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, multiple groups met at Breedlove Foods, 1818 N. MLK Blvd., to continue relief efforts for Ukraine. Amidst the towering shelves of boxes, employees started loading 44,000 lbs. of meals into a red shipping container.
Tim Burow, president of Lubbock's Sunset International Bible Institute, was one of several people in attendance. Sunset has a 26-year connection with Ukraine through having a school, which Burrow taught at for 20 years.
"My family and I lived as missionaries in the city of Mariupol," Burow said. "There, where we lived, seeing our apartment destroyed, seeing the church that we worked with coming under fire, seeing people we know and love dying as a result ... it tears your heart out to see what this war has done to what we consider our second home."
Burow mentioned they were able to get about 70% of their congregation out and into various European countries. Sunset's school, which trained missionaries to help others, was initially in Donetsk, but moved to Kiev when Russian forces came in 2014. After the latest developments, they have once again moved the school, this time to Poland.
His organization helped raise funds for the shipment, and plans to donate winter gear soon. Those missionaries in and around Ukraine will be involved in distributing upcoming shipments.
"A lot of people are going to be without heat because of the gas situation," Burow said. "(The missionaries we trained) are taking in medicine, taking people into their homes and churches. They're helping them get to other locations. They are doing everything we trained them to do."
Breedlove CEO Bill Miller said this shipment, similar to prior relief sent in March, symbolized hope. His organization has packaged tons of food over the years to help with various humanitarian efforts. The food sent on Wednesday was made and packaged in the U.S.
Global Samaritan Resources out of Abilene helped with this shipment by handling the logistics. Erica Pangburn, executive director, drove from Abilene's location hours after sending a shipment of blankets to Ukraine that morning. She sealed the container before it drove off.
The shipment held 1,296 cases, which equals about 2 million meals. Nearly 300 of those meals were paid for by a group of Sudanese refugees in Uganda that met with a Sunset missionary, according to Truitt Adair, Sunset chancellor.
"We're going to write back to these folks and let them know how many meals their $11.18 bought for Ukraine," Adair said. "They helped to feed close to 300 people off of their own lunch money. That's beautiful."
Alana Edgin is a journalist covering Business News in Lubbock and the surrounding area. Send her a news tip at aedgin@lubbockonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Former Ukraine teacher, Texas groups send 2 million meals from Lubbock
