April 7, 2022

 

"Providing food is telling them that we care."  

Today I bought another $546.13 worth of food for orphans in Ukraine. Vasily, my contact person at Caritas-Ukraine, an aid organization that provides shelter to orphans and displaced persons, told me that he asked the children what food they most missed and wanted.  They said breakfast sausages (parowki) and candy.  So I bought a ton of parowki and bags of candy to take with me to Ukraine tomorrow.

I guess I didn't mention that I am going to visit a country that is in the midst of a brutal war.  It was never my intention to go into Ukraine because of the inherent dangers involved, but I have been assured that it is safe in the western regions of Ukraine, particularly along the Polish border. Vasily thought it would be important for me to visit the shelters they run and particularly, the orphanage. As I understand it, the orphans were brought from all over Ukraine due to the dangers of the war, and Caritas-Ukraine is doing its best to take care of 200 orphans.  

Chef Jose Andres, founder of the World Central Kitchen, an organization that is doing a fantastic job here in Poland feeding thousands of hot, delicious meals to refugees and volunteers every day once said, "Providing food is not just providing a meal but telling them that we care." I will be accompanying the first shipment of food that I bought a few days ago, distributing it to the residents of the shelters, and telling them that all of us who are a part of my support group care greatly about their safety and well-being.

 

A Ferris wheel brings Yuliia to tears

 

Every ride that I've given to Ukrainian families has been unique, and today's ride was no different.  This time the occupants were Yuliia (mother and a Doctor of Radiology) and Alisa (daughter and a freshman majoring in Economics at the National University in Kyiv). Alisa spoke fluent English and she also translated for her mother. They live in Irpin, which is next to the capital city of Kyiv, which was under heavy bombardment and attack by the Russians. 

 

Alisa told me that for one week it was a terrifying experience: no electricity, hot water, cell phone service, and living with constant fear. They were afraid to even step outside their home. They finally made it out of the city and lived in a home in the mountains in western Ukraine for several weeks. They recently decided to move temporarily with friends in Krakow. Alisa's father drove them to the border today and shortly after they crossed the border, I met them and the rest is history.

We talked a lot about how the Polish people have welcomed over 2.5 million Ukrainians almost overnight with open arms. When we drove through Krakow, I pointed out the tower that is lit up in the blue and yellow colors of the flag. Yuliian exclaimed, "Wow! (in English), and I could tell that she was moved. Then we drove by a huge ferris wheel that was lit up in blue and yellow. I could hear Yuliia crying in the back seat.