BOONE, N.C. — Based out of Boone, Samaritan's Purse is a disaster relief organization that is ready to respond at a moment's notice when disaster strikes. The group works in North Carolina, throughout the United States, and abroad.
Recent conflicts have kept the organization busy bringing relief to those who need it.
Deputy Director of International Projects for Samaritan's Purse, Aaron Ashoff, said send your prayers.
Samaritan's Purse currently has crews who continue dealing with the war in Ukraine. They are delivering food, water, and help to those who need it.
Crews are still assisting those impacted by Hurricane Idalia, in Georgia and Florida, after it destroyed homes and flooded communities.
Clean-up also continues in Maui, after the wildfire.
While crews continue their efforts across the United States and the globe, the latest work from the organization is now in Armenia.
"We've been on the ground in Armenia for over a week since the over 100,000 Armenians fled from Nagorno Karabakh after a conflict with Azerbaijan," said Ashoff. "Immediately we began to network with local churches to provide blankets, hygiene kits, kitchen items, hot food and this is the first thing we did."
Sunday, Samaritan’s Purse airlifted more than 30 tons of emergency relief supplies to help families impacted by a new wave of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The conflict began on Sept. 19, when violence erupted in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, forcing approximately 100,000 people to leave their homes to find safety.
This is the latest escalation between the two countries. If you remember Samaritan’s Purse responded to the 44-day war in 2020 that killed more than 6,000 people.
Currently, families have poured into Armenia, straining resources, and it has created a humanitarian crisis.
Samaritan’s Purse disaster response specialists are already on the ground in Armenia, partnering with local churches to distribute critical aid. This includes linens, hygiene kits, feminine products, and cleaning kits for hundreds of people in need.
The ministry’s DC-8 cargo plane delivered additional supplies like blankets, solar lights, and food. There is also two burn specialty teams to give surgical care for burn patients that were impacted by a recent gas station explosion that occurred in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Ashoff said it's unprecedented times, but that this is what the team was built to do.
"We feel the weight of it, the compassion, yeah you pay a price, but it's worth it," Ashoff said. "This is what we do, so we will keep charging forward. We look to the Lord for our strength, we have great team members, and we still have a lot of energy, I think this is what we do so we're ready for it, we're going to continue to look for the next place we need to go to."
Most recently the situation in Israel is unfolding. Israel is now at war with Hamas after unprecedented attacks. Ashoff said the group is on standby to assist where it is needed.
"We pride ourselves on getting out there fast, with professionals, who are going to do work with excellence, so when you're surrounded by a team of talented people that are committed, you can stay positive," said Ashoff. "With Israel, we are watching, and we are seeing what's going to happen there."
You can volunteer, donate money, or find other ways to help the organization on their website.