26 July 2018 | The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is mobilizing to help victims of the fires in Greece that killed eighty-five people and injured hundreds more while destroying 1,200 homes near Athens. The town of Maiti in the Attica region has been the hardest hit.

According to a news story from the Trans-European Division of the Adventist denomination, Despina Tologlou, who heads up ADRA operations in Greece, acted quickly to transform what was originally supposed to be a refugee-focused event on Tuesday evening, into a fundraiser for fire victims.

Locals in the city of Katerini where the event was held, donated food, water and other supplies that filled 240 boxes of items for those affected by the fires that had started the previous day.

“It is impressive to see how solidarity works within this nation,” said Tihomir Lipohar, Head of Mission for the ADRA refugee response in Greece in comments to tedNEWS. “The citizens of Greece have shown great compassion supporting refugees and migrants who flooded through their county in recent years. Now as they pull together as a nation in the light of this tragedy they need our support.”

ADRA is distributing supplies in the affected areas, working in conjunction with local authorities but leaders warn that more is needed. “Now, it would be great to support this nation in its response to the victims of deadly fires in Mati and other places in south-eastern Greece,” said Lipohar.

According to Claudiu Gulyas of the Greek Mission, there have been no reports of church members that have been injured or that have had property affected by the recent fires.

According to the Adventist denomination’s Office of Archives, Statistics and Research, there are 401 Adventists and 10 churches in Greece.

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