Help for Ukrainian families in Poland

Dear friends,

The courage of the Ukrainian people and the generosity of my friends and family in Poland has lit a fire within me! I could no longer watch from the safety and comfort of my own home as the unimaginable and heartbreaking stories kept being shared. A few days ago, I teamed up with my dear friend, Malgosia, who lives in Warsaw, to help displaced Ukrainian families find shelter, food, support and hopefully some hope.

 

Three days ago, Malgosia took into her home a young mother with two kids, a boy (6), a girl (4), and their grandmother. The young mother's father, husband and brother all had to stay back in Ukraine. They were scared, vulnerable, and alone when she found them at a bus station. But just yesterday, Malgosia secured them an apartment, and with the help of our incredibly generous community here in Seattle, we’ve raised enough money to cover the cost of food/immediate needs, much-needed therapy for one of the kids and rent for at least six months. I met them over the video yesterday. They were incredibly moved by the generosity of strangers and will be moving into their new home this weekend. The next task will be helping them find a job and get kids into a preschool.

 

We now need to raise more! The situation is very dire, and unfortunately, the greatest challenge is still ahead. Much of the burden still falls on the Polish people. The city of Warsaw is becoming overwhelmed, with more than 230,000 or more arriving and staying in Warsaw. In total, more than 1.5 million refugees had entered Poland.

Our goal is to continue helping families one by one with housing, food, and other support. Some support may be short-term; some longer-term. Some families may be staying in Warsaw; some may need help to get to their next destination. We may also provide direct donations to the refugees' centers in Warsaw and Lublin, my hometown. Please know that there are still many unknowns. The situation is evolving daily, and we are learning as we go, but we want to help as many families as we can right now. I may not have answers to all your questions, but please donate or reach out if you are OK with that and would like to join me in this effort. Thank you for standing with Ukraine and Poland!

 

“The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.”

― Mahatma Gandhi