This month Windsor Road Christian Church is holding its eighth annual clothing drive for Ukrainian villages. The church is collecting clothes, medical supplies and toys.

Church member and St. Joseph, Ill., resident, Roger Denhart started the clothing drive after a mission trip to Ukraine in 1991. He said he found Ukraine to be very similar to central Illinois and after the Soviet Union fell, he decided to start a farm there.

Denhart saw a plummeting economy and very needy people in the country’s farm towns. He was motivated to try to help them.

From that desire to help others, an organization was born.

Denhart, his business partner Joe Parker and their friend Roger Babik started Master Provisions, a not-for-profit organization that provides clothing for needy people in foreign countries. Master Provisions was originally started to provide the people of Ukraine with clothes, but now provides clothes for needy people around the world.

Master Provisions works with foreign churches by helping them set up goodwill shops where the clothes are sold. Not only does this provide inexpensive, quality clothing for people in need, but also provides jobs as well. The money generated from the goodwill stores pays workers’ wages, covers expenses and even provides the churches with extra money.

When Denhart started attending Windsor Road Christian Church, he introduced the program to the church and suggested the congregation help with the cause. The church started the clothing drive the same year.

Help is coming from neighboring churches as well. River Valley Church of Christ in Fisher, for example, is donating clothes to the project.

Pastor Andy Baker and his church have been involved in the humanitarian effort since 1997. He said it’s a very important project.

“It’s great opportunity to help people and be a Christian witness,” Baker said.

Lynn Peisker has been attending Windsor Road Christian Church for almost six years and is also a receptionist there. Both her husband and her daughter have helped with the Ukraine project.

She said she loves to help and that the project is a great way for people to help others.

“It’s amazing how many extra people we have,” she said.

This year is particularly special because instead of working with Master Provisions, the church is working directly with the villagers of Ukraine. Also new this year, the Ukrainian pastors are coming to Champaign to pick up the clothes and preach at the church. On Nov. 13, the church will complete the loading of the goods, and the pastors will be present for a prayer service to send them off.

Denhart says he is very committed to the project he helped start.

“I work hard on this because the goods are getting to the people who need them,” he explained.

He feels this is a great humanitarian project because anyone can help. “Everyone in America has extra clothes,” he said.

Having grown up in America during the Cold War, Denhart said he never imagined he would travel to, much less work in, the former Soviet Union. But he said it’s very important to let the people of eastern Europe know Americans care about them. Sending clothes speaks volumes about peace for today and the future, he said.