Friends of Marys Hands

Marijine rukes Soup Kitchen: The Soup Kitchen is a crowning achievement. Jakov was able to secure land with an existing structure in need of major renovations to bring this to fruition. Our donors not only helped fund the renovations but also provide food and supplies as it opened to great local fanfare in February. Now serving 6,000 meals per month, the Soup Kitchen has already surpassed all expectations. We are hopeful that we will be able to attract more donors to our cause to feed even more of the hungry. While some in need do come to the Soup Kitchen on their own for food, many others are unable to visit, so Marijine ruke volunteers deliver the meals directly to them.

Support for missions beyond Medjugorje: Our assistance for the second program includes helping to build a roof for a church in Congo, providing humanitarian aid to Ukrainians who are suffering as the Russian invasion continues, and sending a young Croatian girl with a history of congenital femoral deficiency and her family to the U.S. as she undergoes surgery and physical therapy here. After the devastating earthquake in Croatia, Friends of Marys Hands purchased two container homes for families who lost everything in this tragedy.

Overall support for helping local residents in need: Friends of Marys Hands came into being to enable Marijine ruke (Marys Hands), the organization founded by Jakov Colo in Medjugorje, to continue to do the good works it had been doing since its founding in 2016. With the pandemic wreaking havoc all over the world, its impact was particularly great on Medjugorje as pilgrims were no longer able to travel to the region. As Marijine ruke was largely funded by pilgrims, this meant the organization was no longer able to help the now-growing number of local residents in need. Since December 2020, when we launched Friends of Marys Hands, we have remained committed to directing all donations collected to supporting Marijine rukes missions and helping them to increase the number of people in and around Medjugorje and around the world who are able to be provided with not only material goods they lack but also compassion, love, and a sense of hope. Since our inception, our work in the first has taken on many facets. We have helped renovate nearly 10 homes for the needy, we have repaired the one elevator in the nearest hospital which had been out of working order for a very long time, and we have purchased a van to bring food and supplies to those in need. On a monthly basis, we provide 500 packages of food, clothing and shoes for disadvantaged families in the region. We have also provided funding for people to plant vegetable gardens to grow their own food. Some of the other help our donations enable include helping families with many children, paying utility bills for those who cant afford it, buying medications for people with no income, providing temporary housing for families in crisis until we can provide permanent housing for them. As winter once again closes in on the region, we have provided firewood for home heating.