300,000 calls of hope: how the church's hotline saves lives from Moscow to the Far East.

The social assistance hotline project of the Russian Orthodox Church was launched by the Synodal Department for Charity of the ROC, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill four years ago, in February 2021. During this time, the hotline has received nearly three hundred thousand requests – over 6,000 calls per month. Thanks to the efforts of staff and volunteers, they have repeatedly managed to save individuals and entire families in the most challenging life situations.

LIFE IN SERVICE

The four-year anniversary was marked by a press conference at TASS agency – to ensure that even more people in need learn about the hotline and can seek assistance.

The head of the Synodal Department for Charity, Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, spoke about the primary mission of the direct line of goodness. Mercy, compassion, and support – these are the driving forces behind the priests when creating this wonderful program.

And people indeed need support. According to the archpriest, the establishment of the system coincided with the difficult years of the pandemic, which were followed by significant and challenging years for the Orthodox world due to the Special Military Operation. At the forefront of all human problems are the employees of the hotline, led by Deacon Igor Kulikov.

The true meaning of human mercy was discussed by Vladimir Legoyda, head of the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for Church and Society Relations.

- For a Christian, mercy is a movement towards Christ. For a Christian, acts of mercy are central and crucial in their attempt to live in accordance with the Gospel, Legoyda stated. - There are only two topics that run through every meeting of the Supreme Church Council – the ministry of mercy and education. It is essential that not only individuals in need but also those approached for help, who do not know how to assist, can call our hotline.

PEOPLE'S TRUST

During the conversation, they also recalled how the idea of creating this bright project was born.

- The primary category of people we must help, those we have always assisted, includes lonely elderly individuals and people with disabilities, and they found themselves in total isolation. Unable to leave home or breathe freely, – recalls Deacon Igor Kulikov. – But we couldn’t go out either! Thus, the idea for our hotline 8 800 707 022 was born. It is available 24/7, multi-channel, and free. Being a service of the Russian Orthodox Church, many people sincerely trust us. They understand that they can turn to us for support specifically from a priest.

Moreover, a significant portion of requests, according to the deacon, comes from those who have lost loved ones and cannot escape from emotional pain, sorrow, and loneliness.

- Our operators are more like social workers; their task is not just to take a call but to connect individuals with the necessary, helping organizations, and provide the required contacts. For example, people regularly call the hotline at night after missing a train: there was a transfer, or they stepped out at night, and that was it, the train left, and they are stranded on the platform not knowing what to do, – explains the deacon.

And this assistance, offered with kind words and a pure heart, is accessible to people in any corner of our vast Motherland.

- The city of Spassk-Dalny, Primorsky Krai, the Far East. An elderly woman calls quietly asking for help with firewood, to buy firewood. The logs are almost finished, there is nothing to heat with, and it is minus 20 outside, – recalls Igor Kulikov about the calls.

Residents of border and newly acquired regions also reach out for help and intercession from the church. For instance, those whose homes have been damaged during the Special Military Operation or by enemy drone attacks. And help arrives, no matter how far the requester is!

- In each diocese, of which there are more than two hundred in Russia, there is a social department. We connect, forward the request, and then supervise the entire process. Do we ever refuse requests? We have two criteria. The person must genuinely need it, and they must not be able to provide it for themselves, – the deacon explains.

The website of the platform “Help” conducts a separate fundraising effort specifically dedicated to the hotline.

- I am convinced that the number of compassionate and caring people far exceeds those who are indifferent and unfeeling, – says Deacon Igor Kulikov. – If every person in our country donated just one hundred rubles for charitable causes each year, nearly all requests would be fulfilled. I want everyone in our country to understand how simple it is to do this.