One Northland family prepares to head to Ukraine to provide support

On Saturday, May 31st, the Tuttle family packed their final bags to make the trip to Ukraine on June 1st, a mission made to bring supplies for those in need.
Andrew Tuttle and his family’s home was once filled to the brim with supplies, all donated to be sent to Ukraine.
“We literally had aisles everywhere because it’s just trying to get as much over there as we can as efficiently and cost effective as we can,” said Tuttle.
Tuttle and his wife, Galyna, created 11th Hour Ministries with one mission in mind, helping those in need.
“We started looking to how we can help orphans and that just let us down a rabbit hole of there’s no really good way to help the teenage orphans there’s no ministries out there that really do that and so then we started our own ministry that we try to help them as they age out to find jobs to keep them off the streets,” said Tuttle.
After the war in Ukraine began, the ministry opened to include more.
“We transitioned into also helping those not everybody can evacuate and so it costs money to just leave everything behind,” said Tuttle.
On Saturday, May 31st, the Tuttle family packed their final bags to make the trip to Ukraine on June 1st, a mission they make at least once a year.
“A lot of them are afraid to go out because of the drone attacks that go on and the target of civilians when a drone’s flying overhead you don’t know if it’s a soldier or not sometimes and people have been you know just bombed out in their field out in their yard or something so there’s a lot of fear right now and so we’re just trying to help however we can,” said Tuttle.
The 11th Hour Ministry will go within a 50-mile radius of the front lines, with volunteers risking their lives to help others.
“Their personal concern for themselves is outweighed by the need of those who really need help,” said Tuttle.
Tuttle’s son, Matthias, will also be making the trip to Ukraine, and says he admires the resilience of the citizens living in Ukraine.
“They just keep going. Despite their neighbor’s house being blown to smithereens or everybody leaving them behind because they can’t retreat back to a city or can’t leave their life behind. They just keep on moving and despite that they try and do their best and look their best,” said Matthias.
Tuttle added the most rewarding part is knowing they are helping those who cannot help themselves.
“What keeps me going is the fact that there are so many orphans out there that just need help and just trying to make a difference however I can in the world,” said Tuttle.