“I ran down to open the stables to free my animals. Some made it, some did not,” says Diamando from atop her mule, somewhere between her village of Persana and the larger village of Lala, referring to the fires that in addition to killing her animals, destroyed her home, her vineyard, 350 olive trees and some pine trees. Since September 8, IOCC has been on the ground in the Peloponnese region of Greece benefitting more than 800 farmers like Diamondo with distributions of animal feed.
(Photo by Sophia Clark)
October 4, 2007
(Baltimore, MD) “I encourage parish priests to inform the parishioners about the importance of IOCC’s labors on our behalf, and to stress the solidarity we feel for our sister communities in Greece, with whom we share the Orthodox faith,” writes His Beatitude Metropolitan HERMAN, the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), in a letter endorsing the relief work currently being carried out by International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) in Greece.
His Beatitude also stresses IOCC’s pan Orthodox mission (the full text of the letter can be found by clicking here). “The humanitarian programs of IOCC enable us as Orthodox churches in North America to offer not only prayers and sympathy to those who suffer, but also the hand of assistance and support in the name of Christ.”
Since September 8, IOCC has been on the ground in the Peloponnese distributing animal feed among the villages of the provinces of Ileia and Arcadia, benefiting more than 800 farmers.
IOCC, founded in 1992 as the official humanitarian aid agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), has implemented over $250 million in relief and development programs in 33 countries around the world.
To help in providing emergency relief, call IOCC's donation hotline toll-free at
1-877-803-4622, make a gift on-line at www.iocc.org, or mail a check or money order payable to “IOCC” and write "Greece Fires" in the memo line to: IOCC, P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, Md. 21263-0225.
Media calls: Contact
Ms. Amal Morcos at 410-243-9820 or (cell) 443-823-3489.
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