U. S. Steel Košice President Jim Bruno handed over today a symbolic cheque for the sum of 100,000 euros to the director of the Greek Catholic Eparchial Charity, Anna Ivanková.
The employees of U. S. Steel Košice and the subsidiaries in the collection, which lasted in April and May, contributed 31,559.80 euros. This amount was tripled to 100,000 euros by the U. S. Steel Košice Foundation.
"I would like to thank the Foundation and the company U. S. Steel Košice for their excellent cooperation from the first days, from assistance for call centers, to assistance with the accommodation of refugees in the USSK Training Centre in Medzev, where there is a very dignified environment and conditions for life also thanks to the people who work there. Of course, I also thank the employees who help us and contributed to this collection and the U. S. Steel Košice Foundation for this really generous amount," Anna Ivanková said.
At the meeting that preceded the handing over of the symbolic cheque, Anna Ivanková presented the activities and activities of the Greek Catholic Charity Košice, which this year commemorates 20 years of activity. It operates throughout the Košice region and its work is diverse. This year is very specific due to the humanitarian crisis.
Father Tomáš Miňo explained at the meeting: "Our eparchy has 100 parishes, we have 120 priests. There are about 75,000 Greek Catholics living here. From a global perspective, our eparchy is very small, but in the first 7 weeks, over 1,000 volunteers have signed up to our system that we have created. The advantage is that just across the border, in Ukrainian city Uzhhorod, there is a Greek Catholic seminary, and the humanitarian aid that was leaving us was heading to that seminar that ensured it was sent further, to specific places throughout Ukraine. So this help is very dedicated and it gets to those places and to those people who are dependent on help."
In the early days, eparchy helped tens of thousands of people crossing the border.
"Now our goal is to help at least 350 families in the Košice Region with integration. Integration work is aimed at those who want to start living and working here. Our workers are ready to help them with housing, provide social, legal, career and work advice, help a psychologist to apply to the labor market, learn the language. However, we do not want these people to depend on us, but to become independent with our help," Anna Ivanková said.
Jim Bruno thanked the guests for the very good and very important work they are doing for Ukrainian refugees: "I am pleased that you will be able to continue this work thanks to our help and the help of our employees."
