San Marcos resident returns from relief trip to Ukraine

By Lucciana Choueiry News Contributor

On Feb. 24, 2022, like the rest of the world, San Marcos resident John Meeks watched the news of the RussiaUkraine war unfold from home. Upon seeing the suffering of the Ukrainian people, he went on a monthlong humanitarian relief trip with Samaritan’s Purse to Kyiv, Ukraine, from Nov. 9-Dec. 7, 2022.

Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational Christian organization that provides spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world.

Blake Welch, Samaritan’s Purse’s regional manager for Ukraine, is responsible for supporting the organization’s country office that’s operating in different Ukrainian cities.

“What we’ve been doing is just responding to the humanitarian crisis [in Ukraine] because people have been suffering there for a year now,” Welch said. “Most of what we do is taking place along the front lines of far eastern Ukraine where the greatest need in the country is.”

It wasn’t until John met with a friend, who had just returned from another month-long relief trip with Samaritan’s Purse in Ukraine, that he knew there was something he could do to help.

“I told my friend ‘man I wish there