To date, July 2024, we have delivered over 2,860,000 meals. We have started a new project and are dedicated to delivering food boxes to areas of Ukraine where the conflict is most intense.
Another trip to Antonivka, a village on the riverbank. The situation is worsening, with drones constantly flying overhead, detecting any movement, so we had to move quickly to ensure everyone’s safety. This time, we delivered 200 bags of food, filled with essentials to help the residents get by.
It was heartwarming to see familiar faces, still staying strong and hopeful despite the chaos surrounding them. Their courage and determination continue to inspire us every day.
Last week, we returned to Antonivka, a city under constant shelling. With each visit here, we confront new devastation—a harsh reality. Yet, people persist here.
We delivered 15 kilograms of food boxes filled with various items that could sustain them for a month.
Witnessing these resilient individuals, especially the elderly, carrying these heavy boxes, reinforced our belief that we were making a difference.
Their expressions of gratitude, shown through smiles and hugs, overwhelmed us.
One woman even gifted us a bottle of homemade wine!
Their resilience inspires us to continue.
We packed boxes with enough food to last a person a month and with our vans fully loaded, we set off on yet another journey to the Kherson region.
Upon arrival, we distributed over 100 Food Boxes to a deaf community, ensuring their nutritional needs were met. Another 100 boxes went to an elderly community along the Dnipro River. The trip was a success, thanks to the dedication of local residents and volunteers who assisted us throughout.
We thank Together For You and Danish Crown for their invaluable support, making this initiative possible and truly impacting those we aim to help.
In collaboration with "Blue Team International", we organized a barbecue day for 50 widows and their children, where we also handed out gift cards worth 1,000 hryvnia to each, for future food purchases. In addition to this, we prepared 25 Basic Food Boxes for the elderly in the local community. A big thank you to Danish Crown for donating the sausages.
It was an unforgettable day filled with joy, where we could see the joy in the eyes of the participating families and the elderly. Being able to offer them not only a delicious meal but also resources for future purchases is a way to show our support and solidarity at a time when many are facing financial challenges due to the ongoing conflict.
These actions are an expression of our common desire to help and support each other in difficult times. We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to this initiative and made it possible.
Amid the ongoing conflict following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many people are enduring severe hardship and urgently require humanitarian assistance. The war has resulted in infrastructure destruction, loss of life, and profound disruption of daily life across Ukraine. Consequently, there is a growing demand for emergency aid, including food, medicine, and other essential supplies.
In response to this critical situation, we successfully delivered a truck carrying 22 tons of canned meat from Denmark to Odesa, Ukraine. We extend heartfelt thanks to the volunteers from "Южная столица" who assisted in unloading the truck. Over the coming weeks, we will sort and package the donated canned meat along with other food items as part of our "Basic Food Program" for families and individuals living on the front lines in Ukraine. We are grateful to Danish Crown for providing the canned meat distributed.
Once again, we are going on a mission to the Kherson region with the aim of ensuring that those on the front lines are never forgotten. Despite the adverse weather conditions, the Ukrainians showed remarkable resilience. They warmly welcomed us, even in the rain, with hugs and smiles amidst the challenging circumstances.
A special thanks goes to Danish Crown.dk for their ongoing support. Your contribution is essential to our efforts.
Another special thanks to @baiselmi for filming and editing the touching footage that depicts the harsh reality of the area. Her work enables us to show the world the challenges these brave people face and how important our work is. Without her efforts, many of these stories would remain unseen and unheard.
Another eventful mission to the Kherson region. Thanks to the invaluable support of the Good Samaritan Foundation, we have collected food items to make 500 vital food bags, supplemented by 200 hot meals from Steve from Canada. Special thanks to @baiselmi for filming and editing the poignant footage depicting the harsh reality of the area.
The network "Titiana" is our entrance to Antonivka, which is on the front and is under daily attack from mortars, artillery, bombs or drones.
The population tries to maintain their daily routines despite the constant danger. It's a heartbreaking reminder of how hard war hits the most vulnerable and it's heartbreaking to see the elderly moving out into the throes of need, terrified by the sound of shells exploding nearby. Every bag of food and every hot meal we bring is a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark time.
These people live in constant fear and uncertainty, but their courage, vitality and endurance are admirable.
We recently visited a front-line village in the Kherson region that bore the brunt of months of relentless bombardment. The devastation was evident, with many homes damaged by shelling. Moreover, the situation worsened due to a natural disaster following the bursting of the Nova Kakhovka dam, which flooded most of the village. This disaster rendered numerous homes uninhabitable, displaced countless residents, and plunged them into great desperation.
We gave them canned food and cleaning supplies to help them rebuild their homes after the extensive damage. A heartfelt thank you to our friends for generously providing the much needed cleaning supplies.
We have reached another significant milestone, as another 22 tons of canned meat, generously donated by @danishcrown.dk and their employees, are on their way to Odesa. Their unwavering support has been invaluable and indispensable. These donations will be carefully packed into weekly bags and distributed to the frontline villages in Ukraine, where they will provide essential nutrition to those facing the greatest challenges.
Without the collaboration with Danish Crown and DSV - Global Transport and Logistics for the transport from Denmark to Ukraine, we would not have been able to help so many Ukrainians. They send their warm regards and gratitude for the support.
Vladimir, who is 84 years old, has lived a life that has contained both moments of joy and indescribable difficulties. He has endured the loss of his beloved wife twelve years ago and seen his children and grandchildren escape to safety.
In Valdimir's apartment there are numerous black-and-white photographs; a glimpse into a life full of memories.
During the flood, caused by the dam collapse, Vladimir faces the feeling of terror for an extended period as he watches the water rise rapidly from his window and flood the ground floor. Despite the feeling of hopelessness, he collects his most precious possessions, documents and photo albums filled with love. When the evacuation boat arrives, he is ready and makes sure that his treasured memories will survive. The challenges even continue to new heights. The inexorable rise of the water means that he will not be able to return home, and he finds temporary shelter in a stranger's house.
His house, located on the outskirts of the city, exposed him to constant danger from mortars and artillery. Loud explosions, both outgoing and incoming shells, could be heard every 15 minutes or so. These sounds, the result of ongoing conflicts, had been a part of his life even before the flood, and Vladimir faced the psychological stress of living in these conditions.
Vladimir shares some of his past and reveals a life marked by resilience and determination. Born in 1939 in Siberia, he experienced the harsh realities of the Second World War and lost his father in the conflict. His family faced post-war hardships that led them to Ukraine, where they settled in order to survive.
His passion for the sea led him to pursue a career in the Civil Navy, where his dedication and ability to lead earned him the position of Captain. Love blossomed and he married Vera, a beautiful and intelligent woman, with whom he built a strong and loving family. Vladimir's career developed and he moved to Kherson, where he was awarded an apartment in recognition of his work.
Now retired with over 60 years of work experience, Vladimir faces new challenges as a result of the flood. His retirement income, once adequate, is struggling to meet the needs of this unexpected disaster. Amidst the difficulties, however, his greatest dream remains simple yet profound; To see an end to the war and to be reunited with his children and grandchildren.
On our way back to the Donetsk region, this time focusing on supporting the Ukrainian soldiers, we delivered 2 tons of canned fish and meat as well as ½ ton of sugar for sporadic joy in the dark trenches. This effort was essential to ensure that the soldiers had the necessary resources to maintain their strength and morale. We express great gratitude to our brave friend Lyutiy Rarsen for his unwavering dedication to his country and the extra contribution he gave us, which made a big difference to the success of the mission.
Special recognition goes to Margarita Koerina for her invaluable connections and the beautiful song that lifted our spirits on the journey back to Odesa. Her support was invaluable and gave us the necessary spiritual encouragement during our journey. We would also like to thank @danishcrown.dk for generously providing canned food, @Munkeboseafood for the much-appreciated canned fish and @Nordic Sugar for their sweet donation ❤️ Your contribution was essential to our efforts and was received with great gratitude by the soldiers we met .
We followed the soldiers for a few days and got a unique insight into how the training as a soldier takes place and how big the risk is of being injured. We saw, touched and heard most military hardware in action. It dawned on us how destructive and destructive the war is to the people trapped in this inescapable nightmare. Witnessing the harsh reality of the front line gave us a deeper understanding of the challenges soldiers face every day, and it left a lasting impression on us.
Together with the local groups "Canadalovesmykolayiv" and "One Team One Fight" we traveled to Torske, which is on the front line. We prepared 2,500 food bags to be distributed over the next few days.
The fighting has ravaged the city 6-7 times. The entire town and surrounding villages are destroyed, but people continue to live there, living their daily lives and trying to ignore the constant shelling. It is difficult to take pictures, as it is rarely safe to stand still without the risk of being shot at. However, we managed to grab a few in a hurry.
The gratitude we encounter is overwhelming. People weep with joy over the bags they depend on for survival, which leaves a deep impression on us. Our journey continued through various frontline areas and culminated in the Donetsk region. Despite many bombed roads we managed to reach several villages.
We strive to encourage them to stay strong and remind them that there is someone supporting them.
Our thanks again go to danishcrown.dk for their invaluable support.
Meet Marina, "Braveheart from Kherson".
Her husband was a famous conductor in Ukraine.
The Russians asked him to come and be employed by them. He declined. It was a fatal decision.
Marina and her husband were shot one afternoon in their apartment.
The man died on the spot.
Marina was hit in the stomach, chest and head. She was then dragged down 4 floors of stairs while Russians robbed the apartment.
She was thrown onto a bench where she lay for a while. She took the bullet out of her head herself - right behind the ear, the hospital didn't dare help with that.
In our endeavor to strengthen and extend the supply of food to those in need, we have entered into a collaboration with Luke Maddox from Conscience International in the USA and Nigel Watson from the UK. While we handle the delivery of canned meat, they are responsible for purchasing and packing the remaining contents in the weekly bags we deliver.
On this particular trip we were accompanied by Steve from Canada who has taken responsibility for the welfare of a group of 100 people. We also provide him with preserved meat. Together we work to ensure that important resources reach as many people as possible.
In December 2022, when I visited a friend who works at Danish Crown in Vejle, I heard about "Lucky bags". The employees of Danish Crown could buy residual products worth DKK 25 for 6 kg. Once I understood the concept, I bought 1.5 tons of "lucky bags" and set off on a trip to Ukraine, which was in dire need of emergency aid.
The first food mission went to the destination of Zaporizhzhia, where we helped a refugee camp, an orphanage and a communal kitchen for internally displaced people. In addition, we visited Sumy, Kharkiv and Kiev to establish future collaborations with other NGOs and individuals.
After this, the collaboration with Danish Crown was expanded so that each employee could donate 6 kg of food to those in need in Ukraine for DKK 25. For every bag employees bought, the factory matched a matching donation.
This initiative now includes all Danish Crown employees in Denmark.
© foodforukraine.dk