Not just basic needs, but hope and care

The Adamant Holding Company regularly provides humanitarian aid in the form of food, hygiene products, and clothing to the St. John of Kronstadt Mercy Center.

This is a project of the Department of Church Charity and Social Services of the St. Petersburg Diocese. The center provides support to low-income individuals, pensioners, large and single-parent families, the disabled, and the homeless.

For Christmas, the center's volunteers create special gift baskets from humanitarian aid and present them to those in their care after charity events.

This year was no exception. On January 7, the Mercy Center held a festive liturgy, followed by a concert and a charity lunch for those in need.

Volunteers prepared 300 gifts from items purchased by Adamant. Most of the gifts were handed out after the holiday. Volunteers will deliver the gifts to those in need who have difficulty getting around independently.

"This year, a record number of poor people came to the holiday—267 people. By comparison, on weekdays, the Mercy Center's soup kitchen receives between 55 and 75 people. It was important not only to feed them, but also to organize the traditional gift-giving. Adamant Holding provided everything needed to create the Christmas packages. In addition to sweets, each package contained warm socks, gloves, combs, and stationery. Many people in need cannot afford these simple items. Socks and gloves are among the most popular requests our clothing service receives, especially from the homeless. People in difficult life situations, including the elderly, large families, and the disabled, are also forced to save on everything, including hygiene products. Therefore, gifts like these are especially welcome. "And the very fact of attention is also a pleasant experience for those in our care. Most don't have loved ones or a social network where they could receive even the slightest bit of care," says the center's director, Priest Antony Zarovsky.

Adamant Holding thanks the staff and volunteers of the St. John of Kronstadt Mercy Center for organizing the events and helping with the gift baskets.

It's incredibly valuable that such assistance not only helps meet basic needs but also gives hope and care to those without the support of loved ones.