Donations from Meridian Magazine readers and others helped purchase bread, sausage, fruit, oil and other vital supplies that made their way safely across the Polish border this past week and into Ukrainian communities including the city of Dergachi, located north of Kharkiv. The volunteers who put their safety on the line and made the trip into these communities were so appreciative and hopeful for further assistance that they created a five-minute video to show the fruits of contributors’ generosity.
“This video shows just one of many vanloads delivered to Ukrainians in need,” said Svitlana Miller, organizer of the Idaho-based nonprofit ToUkraineWithLove.org. “Our team member Dmytro and his fellow volunteers were so motivated to make the video that they got in the van and yet again risked their safety to travel to a location where they could access power and facilities to edit their cell phone footage.” You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm4UeSvnCsk
“People here in the U.S. may think their donation of $10 or $100 or $1,000 is just be a drop in a bucket,” Miller said. “But for the people who receive that aid, that drop can be life-sustaining.”
Miller reported that another ToUkraineWithLove.org delivery last week made its way into the then-Russian-occupied suburban village of Motyzhyn, about 30 miles west of Kyiv. “People there had not had access to bread or any fresh supplies for three weeks,” she said. “Many had been living in bunkers underground.” Journalists’ reports circulating the past few days identify Motyzhyn as the scene where local mayor Olha Sukhenko, her husband and son were abused, executed and tossed in a shallow grave in a nearby pine forest. “This news is absolutely devastating,” said Miller.
Of critical need at many locations in Ukraine at this time, according to Miller, are canned meat, tourniquets, solar-powered energy devices and baby formula. ToUkraineWithLove.org is now using donated funds to obtain these goods and transport them into Ukraine.
“Donations from families and individuals are helping immensely, and we’re also so grateful to see corporations stepping up to help.”
Those able to donate may do so at the website of the 501(c)3 nonprofit ToUkraineWithLove.org.
