April 5
50,000+ people fed weekly.
16,738 evacuations to date. 4,378 this week.
Extraordinary people continue to risk their lives as the war wages on. As we look at this week’s photos from the teams in Ukraine, they could easily be mistaken out of context as seemingly ordinary happenings – people on buses, a car filled with food, diapers in a trunk, an elderly person outside with a grocery bag. However, these are far from typical moments. This is a bus ride to safety. These aren’t just regular groceries. Each is a form of heroism and love.
We humbly offer you these updates from the past week:
Natalia
As food security becomes more stable around Ukraine-controlled Kyiv, Natalia is shifting aid into the devastated areas of Bucha, Irpin’, Hostomel, Dymer, Brovary, and Chernihiv.
To date Natalia’s teams have delivered 2,000 parcels of food to the elderly; each parcel has enough to last 3-4 weeks. With city services stabilizing in Kyiv, the city is now taking over providing humanitarian aid to the elderly.
Natalia is continuing to scale, establishing nation-level networks, and is in the process of applying for official charity status in Ukraine. Right now, her team of heroes is involved in feeding 35,000-50,000 people each week.
Kseniia
Kseniia’s team, like Natalia’s, is also shifting all of their energy to saving people in the liberated Kyiv suburbs.
On Monday this week, Ukraine TrustChain transferred $8,000 to Kseniia to pay for the cost of a large shipment of food from the West. On Tuesday, the truck with the food was loaded, and on Thursday, it arrived in Kyiv. Kseniia’s team can now supply 6 restaurants in Kyiv for at least 2 weeks with fresh produce such as potatoes, cabbage, and tomatoes. Open all day and free, these restaurants, supported by the teams of Kseniia and Natalia, feed 4,500 Ukrainians daily.
With funds from Ukraine TrustChain, Kseniia’s team finished distributing 2,000 fleece garments that volunteers sewed for the territorial defense units. We’re investigating fabric suppliers to make summer uniforms for troops as weather conditions improve.
Dina and Karina
These extraordinary leaders have been pushing aid into the most dire regions in Southern and Eastern Ukraine. They sustain hundreds of Kharkiv residents, and have supported miraculous evacuations from the Mariupol, Berdyansk, and Severodonetsk areas in the last week. They continue to support evacuees in Zaporizhzhya and Dnipro by improving their living conditions and buying sweets for children.
Andriy
In the past few days, Andriy’s team has again evacuated over 1,000 people to the shelter he operates. There, the war-stricken evacuees can rest and eat before he works to get them resettled in other countries. This week he tested the cargo space on his bus to determine the safest way to transport elderly people with limited mobility. Since these passengers cannot sit, he and his team carefully arranged a safe way for them to ride in the cargo space which was outfitted with blankets and pillows.
Pavel
Pavel’s team evacuated 2,546 people last week.
US Teams Update
US volunteers continue to raise awareness of the unique impact of our Ukraine teams. We are so grateful to our network of donors and contributors for their efforts and support.
Press update: Our founder, Daniil, and Ukraine TrustChain was featured on WGN (Chicago news), please click here to watch.
We were also featured recently on St. Louis On Air, in NuDetroit, and on WBTV. For more coverage and to see our recently released press release, please see our press page.
Fundraisers: We are so grateful for friends who are supporting Ukraine TrustChain and the Ukrainian volunteers on the ground through local fundraising efforts. Some recent events include bake sales, micro meal services, and more. One fundraiser prepared traditional Ukrainian food such as pelmeni, cake, and borscht. Other groups have performed music and written songs; still others are hosting a larger event for children to decorate pysanky and holding an upcoming art exhibit at Chicago Art Department starting on April 8th, 2022. Here are some pictures of the creative efforts that support our Ukraine teams.
How to Help
Donate - The money goes directly to teams providing aid on the ground, who respond dynamically to the most urgent needs.
Fundraise - Organize fundraisers at your school, work, place of worship, with friends and family, etc.
Spread the word - Share our website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn with your friends, family, and colleagues.
Download and print our flyer. Ask your local coffee shop if you can add it to the bulletin, or use it as part of your fundraiser.
