Crisis in Ukraine

Crisis In Ukraine

On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in an unprovoked act of war, displacing millions of Ukrainians and their pets. The support from our community was immediate and inspiring. Within thirty days, we had fundraised more than $436,000 to respond to this rapidly evolving humanitarian crisis.

In partnership with Greater Good Charities, we’re providing emergency relief to help people and pets impacted by the war. Whenever possible; the food, blankets, and toys that are donated are made in Ukraine, providing economic relief to Ukrainians. 

We've also partnered with Siobhan's Trust to donate hot pizzas and other food items to those in need of nutritious meals and lifted spirits. At times, as many as 2,000 pizzas a day are being handed out to feed the hungry mouths of displaced people, first responders, volunteers, and anyone who needs them.

As this crisis continues to unfold, our response will evolve to meet the need where it is greatest.

Every day, when you click the "Click to Give" button on GreaterGood or play Games that Give and Trivia to Give, GreaterGood funds food and supplies to the people and pets of Ukraine. 

See how you are helping Ukrainians here. 

Updates From The Field

50,000+ Blankets for People and Pets in Need

Blankets are a key part of our mission to send aid to Ukraine. With the bombing of homes and critical infrastructure, many people have been left homeless or in damaged homes without heat and power. Blankets are one way we can ensure that Ukrainians stay warm this winter, even as their access to other heat sources fluctuates.

In 2023, with your help, we distributed 36,000 Ukrainian-made blankets and 3,000 scarves to people and pets in Ukraine. We're also off to a strong start in 2024 with 5,400 blankets donated (for a total of more than 50,000 over the course of the war)!

In order to further support industry and jobs in Ukraine, we’ve also purchased Ukrainian-made blankets to sell in our online stores, making GreaterGood the exclusive distributor of VLADI wool scarves in the USA. From September to December 2023, we sold 642 blankets, 605 scarves, and 127 shawls. With our Buy a Blanket, Give a Blanket program, every purchase of a Ukrainian-made blanket, shawl, or scarf also provides a blanket to a person in need in war-torn Ukraine.

Thanks for your help funding this important work!

 

 

Feeding Shelter Pets

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, much of the country’s infrastructure has been destroyed, a third of the population has been forced to flee their homes, and the UN Refugee Agency estimates at least 17.6 million Ukrainians have been in need of humanitarian aid in 2023. Along with the people impacted are their pets.

Partnering with Greater Good Charities and local organizations in Ukraine, we’ve set up a distribution network to get emergency pet food to refugees and to shelters. We’ve also worked to set up feeding stations with food and water for strays.

Shelters impacted by the violence and destruction include those in Zaporizhzhia, which has been in the thick of the fighting. Rescues there have had to evacuate animals from the front lines, treat those with diseases, and find animals that have been abandoned… all while hoping to find them homes in these uncertain times. A GreaterGood employee  recently stopped by a rescue organization  in Zaporizhzhia to visit with the pets and help distribute food.

Help us keep feeding Ukrainian pets in need!

 

Summer Camp for Children

The war in Ukraine has been difficult for all its citizens, but it's an especially stressful time for children. Young people don't deserve to be feeling the pressures of war when they should be focused on playing, learning, growing, and enjoying their childhoods. 

Summer camp is one way that we can help kids deal with the stress of a war in their country. GreaterGood recently paid for three children to attend a summer camp in Zaporizhzhia. They've had a wonderful time making new friends, swimming, dancing, taking classes, eating good food, and more! We're so happy to have been able to provide them an opportunity to just be kids for a while.

Help us continue to provide for Ukrainians in need!

 

Linens for Struggling Mothers and Children

A home has recently been opened for mothers and children in Ukraine who are in difficult situations and need a place to stay. The residence currently houses 35 individuals, but in the future there will likely be even more.

GreaterGood is helping to furnish this house and make it more of a home by supplying enough pillows, blankets, and bed linens for each of the people living there.

All the items we brought to this home were made in Ukrainian factories, so the purchase helps to keep businesses up and running and people employed.

See what you can do to support mothers and young children in Ukraine further.

 

Blankets for Babies 

New mothers and families in Ukraine have been some of the hardest hit by the effects of the Russian attacks, such as resource shortages and supply-chain bottlenecks. New babies continue to need all the same things they have needed for thousands of years, but now many families are in a tough spot and cannot provide some of the bare necessities for their little ones. 

GreaterGood is committed to helping people thrive, including the newest members of this world! In that spirit, we've donated several baby blankets and newborn care sets to the Zaporizhzhia maternity hospital to help new mothers care for their babies.

Help us support mothers and babies with our Mother & Infant Care Packages!

 

One Million Pizzas!

We're excited to announce that we have officially cooked and distributed our one-millionth pizza in Ukraine!

Our partners with Siobhan's Trust and Greater Good Charities arrived on the ground in Ukraine in March of 2022, the very month after the invasion occurred, and immediately started helping provide hot meals and other supplies to the people most in need of them. They've traveled to various parts of the country, including some dangerous locations close to the Russian-occupied territories - always with smiles on their faces - to make sure that as many people as possible are provided with nutritious food.

These volunteers have been unstoppable in their pursuit to bring food to hungry people, and, as of early July, 2023, we have officially cooked our one-millionth pizza for the people of Ukraine! That's one million hearty meals for people who might otherwise have had to go without.

Help us provide more food to Ukrainians in need!

 

Tourniquets for Military Members

Over the last several months, requests have been coming in for tourniquets and medical supplies to help save the lives of Ukrainian military members. We’ve made a few shipments of medical supplies to Ukraine and have even received messages of thanks from those who received them.

This time, GreaterGood CEO Tim Kunin met a request from Natali Popova and her charity, MARLOG, for tourniquets by bringing them over himself, many of them right in his own suitcase. On his first day in the country, he distributed more than 200 tourniquets, and he will continue to do this throughout his trip. 

Help us send more medical supplies to military members and emergency crews in Ukraine!

 

Food Relief During Floods

In early June, Russian forces destroyed the Nova Kakhovka dam and the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, placing 80 settlements and more than 16,000 Ukrainians in harm's way by pouring 18 billion cubic meters of water down on them. We're working to bring food to the people on the liberated side of the river, which is the only accessible part of the flooded area. People there cannot travel between buildings except by boat, and they do not have electricity or any estimated time for it to be turned on again.

GreaterGood Charities assisted Siobhan's Trust volunteers in cooking and transporting pizzas via boat to people trapped in their homes without any way to procure or cook food. We served 12 villages in the Kherson region and plan to continue helping until the flooding subsides and the power is restored. We also continue to hope that the non-liberated side of the river will soon be more accessible so we can offer our support there.

Help us continue to offer food assistance to those in need!

 

Pizza for Military Members

In early June 2023, our teams partnered with Ukrainian authorities to put on a live concert for Ukrainian military members and cook and serve them Siobhan's Trust pizzas - one full pizza for each person and plenty of moral support to go along with it!

Recently, we also presented Good Packs to Ukrainian military heroes who are not currently fighting due to their injuries. The Ukrainian military is making a heroic effort against the Russian invasion, and we're proud to support them in any way we can.

Support our Good Packs program here! 

 

Food & Linens for the Poor & Homeless 

On May 11th, Greater Good Charities visited Malokaterinivka, in the Zaporizhzhia region, an area that was recently shelled for more than two hours by the Russians. The urban settlement incurred massive damage, including more than 100 houses, a few of which were completely obliterated. Many people are working on repairing their homes or are seeking temporary shelter and resources. Our teams were able to supply them with humanitarian aid in the form of food kits, pillows, bed linens, and blankets.

On the 25th, they were able to answer the call of Ukrainian police to send food boxes to the individual homes of large poor families and people with disabilities in several towns in the  Zaporizhzhia region.

Help us continue to bring warmth to those in need.

 

Reconstruction Efforts Allow Our Teams to Help New Areas

Ukrainian officials have been asking the team to come to Borovaya for some time, but the destruction of bridges in the area made it impossible for quite some time. On the 19th of May, however, they were finally able to cross the reconstructed bridges and enter the village to help those in need with hot meals and supplies.

You can help us continue to support the Ukrainian people by clicking here.

 

Bringing Life Back to the Broken

On May 18^th, our partners visited the village of Kamyanka, which barely exists since the Russians attacked it. GreaterGood’s on-the ground representative, Nina Yevtushenko, reports that everything has been demolished and that there are still active mines in the area, one of which exploded and killed a man on the very day of the visit. "There is no more life in this village; everything is destroyed and mined," she says. Nevertheless, the team did their best to bring new life to the citizens with food and supplies to help them weather this terrible time.

Support Ukrainians by sending meal kit boxes their way today.

 

Record-Breaking Pizza Party

On May 15th, the largest-ever team of Siobhan's Trust and Greater Good Charities volunteers cooked pizza for the people of war-torn Kyiv. Twenty-two people cooked pizzas out of 18 pizza ovens in three different vans at a rate of 400 pizzas per hour. We are so happy to be able to provide not just food but also hot and comforting food during this terrible time.

Can you help support our mission to feed those in need? Click here!

 

Celebrating One Year of Liberation for Ukrainian Towns

The war is far from over, but there are small victories to celebrate for many villages in Ukraine. These towns were once under Russian control but have now been liberated for one full year!

Tsyrkuny, located about 10 km from Kharkiv, is one of the villages that Russian forces invaded early in the war, and the small town quickly became a stronghold from which the Russians sent out tank and artillery attacks on Kharkiv and the northern Saltivka district until its liberation in May of 2022. Novomoskovsk, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, is another city that has been liberated from Russia for one full year.

To celebrate, creative teams performed in national Ukrainian costumes. Borscht and special breads were prepared and eaten. There was music, dancing, and all-around merrymaking. Our partners cooked thousands of pizzas for the festival goers.

 

Sending Aid to the Frontlines in Ukraine

With the help of Greater Good Charities and Siobhan's Trust, we've been able to get food, blankets, and a variety of supplies to those who have been displaced after Russian attacks destroyed their homes in various parts of Ukraine. Here's one example:

In late April, 2023, our partners visited Berezovo, Ukraine, which is only 15 km from the frontlines. That area of the country experiences daily shelling episodes. Bombings have destroyed their school and cultural center, and many stores and businesses have closed, leaving residents almost completely reliant on volunteer organizations to bring them food and supplies. There are often power outages due to the attacks, and families spend most of their time in their basements for safety.

Around 500 families used to reside in Berezovo. Now only 150 remain. Our team brought in 150 food boxes to feed those families for about a month, along with 300 blankets.

Donate now to enable us to continue helping those in crisis!

 

Help for Displaced Blind Ukrainians

In April, we visited a shelter for the blind in Dnipro, Ukraine. The shelter is located inside a factory that was originally established by the Ukrainian Association for the Blind and used to employ the visually impaired in making railway tracks. Now the director has turned it into a home for blind and visually impaired people who have been displaced from their homes during the war, mostly in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions. 

Nina Yevtushenko, GreaterGood's on-the-ground representative in Ukraine, visited the facility with Greater Good Charities. She reports that the facility is very clean and well-run, but it is still crowded, with 10-15 people living in a room together. She helped distribute food boxes and hot pizzas to the residents of the factory.

Send a food box to someone in need today!

 

Ukraine Mother & Infant Aid

Children are among those suffering the most during the war in Ukraine. Because of resource shortages and the fact that people's belongings are often being destroyed or left behind in the chaos of war, families sometimes cannot find formula, baby food, clothing, and other products needed to keep their young ones safe, warm, and fed. 

GreaterGood's new Mother and Infant Aid Kits aim to help ensure babies and children in Ukraine have all their basic needs met. Our kits contain items like bottles, formula, diapers, wipes, socks, mittens, pacifiers, soap, toothbrushes, toys, and blankets. 

Stand with these mothers and their innocent children!

 

 

Ukraine Pizza Parties

As the war in Ukraine rages on, more and more refugees have returned to be reunited with their families, creating an even larger need for assistance in war-torn areas where resources are scarce and infrastructure systems are not as reliable as they once were. In partnership with Greater Good Charities and Siobhan's Trust, we're funding as many as 2,000 personal pizzas per day to be cooked and distributed in various areas of the country that have been hit hardest by the fighting.

This isn't just a warm and nutritious meal - for many people, it's also a chance to socialize and raise their weary spirits. It's a chance to restore their faith in humanity and watch children joyfully dance to the music. It's a sign of hope and a welcome respite in the midst of disaster.

Help us continue this mission!

 

Ukraine Food Assistance

Recently, our non-profit partners at Greater Good Charities were on the ground and able to offer direct assistance to first responders in the aftermath of a Russian bombing. On March 2nd, 2023, at 1:45 in the morning, two Russian rockets hit a five-floor residential building in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. The building was badly damaged, and at least thirteen people have been reported killed.

Rescue crews from all over Ukraine worked around the clock for five days to pull the remaining survivors out of the rubble. During that time, GGC joined with volunteers from the Charitable Foundation M.R.I.Y.A. and Siobhan's Trust to cook pizzas and other food for all the first responders, volunteers, displaced people, and anyone else in need of sustenance. GreaterGood continues to fund these pizzas and other food and supplies as needed.

Help ensure Ukrainian families are fed in their time of need!

 

 

 

Ukraine - One Year In

It's been one year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The UN estimates that over 5 million Ukrainians, many with pets, have registered as refugees in neighboring countries, while over 8 million are internally displaced. 

In the course of a year, we've raised $1.3 million for the Ukrainian cause. We've delivered 4 million hot meals and other supplies to people in 100-plus locations in Ukraine and Poland. We’ve also contributed 35,000 Ukrainian-made wool blankets and 268 life-saving medical kits to areas that needed them. 1,200 toys have been donated to Ukrainian children in Poland and Ukraine, and more than $27 thousand went to fund the rescue and relocation of wildlife out of war-torn areas. We’ve even distributed 9.5 million pounds of nutritious kibble for hungry pets who’ve been caught up in this devastating war as well.

Find out how you can help.

 

 

With your support, we were able to do the following in 2022:

Fund 2.2 million meals for Ukrainian pets and shelter pets. 

Provide over 2,280 Winter Relief Kits filled with food items to make 80 meals, hygiene items, warm socks, and fleece jackets.

Distribute 300,000 pizzas to hungry people of all ages with our partner Siobhan's Trust.

Send 25,000 wool blankets to keep people and pets in Ukraine warm this winter. 

Give over 1,200 toys to children in Ukraine and refugees in Poland. 

Raised $27,000 to rescue and relocate wildlife out of war-torn areas. 

Send medical supplies, including life-saving CAT tourniquet sets for field medics. 

And much more...

FAQ

Will my clicks still feed the hungry and support research, therapy, and conservation efforts? Yes! We will continue to support the important programs GreaterGood has become known for. For the duration of this crisis, revenue generated through your additional clicks will help us fund emergency relief efforts in Ukraine. Some of our partners have already pivoted to help with these relief efforts.

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