The Utah Jazz organization is stepping up to help the Ukrainian people amid the Russian invasion ... by providing more than 32,200 nights of housing for refugees fleeing the country.
The team made the announcement on Wednesday ... saying it teamed up with Airbnb.org -- a nonprofit devoted to providing housing to those in need -- to make the gesture happen.
Jazz Executive chairman and co-owner Ryan Smith spoke about the decision to help out ... saying, "Connection and community have never been more important than it is today."
"Millions of people have been forced to leave behind their entire lives in Ukraine. Airbnb.org is connecting host families with refugees in need, creating safe havens when so many communities are being torn apart."
The Utah Jazz Foundation and https://t.co/PHsZ3zl4dB are partnering to provide over 32,200 nights of housing for refugees fleeing Ukraine, nearly double the capacity of our arena 💙💛#StandWithUkraine https://t.co/s7MTBofviV pic.twitter.com/bJ5yn2d4EB
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 9, 2022
He added ... "And we can’t stop there. I encourage every organization to support Airbnb.org’s important initiative, to magnify their impact and house enough refugees to fill their arenas or workplaces.”
The incredibly kind gesture comes at a time when Ukraine is being ravaged every day by violence at the hands of Vladimir Putin and Russian troops -- forcing many of its citizens to flee out of safety concerns.
In fact, more than 2.1 million people have evacuated since February 24.
Airbnb co-founder and chairman of Airbnb.org, Joe Gebbia, was extremely thankful for the commitment from the team ... saying, "I cannot begin to express my thanks to the Utah Jazz Foundation for their support of Airbnb.org’s work."
"This incredible commitment will play a meaningful role in helping us meet our goal of providing free, temporary housing to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine – offering not only a roof over their heads, but also a safe place to gather and regroup."