Help our Nanny, Kate’s Family, in Ukraine

Our nanny’s parents (and extended family) are in Ukraine and their source of income has come to a halt. Despite this, they have helped shelter 21 people who have needed to escape from larger cities. This GoFundMe provides direct funds to Kate’s parents and family. Please help if you can and please share with anyone you think may be willing to help. We’re so grateful for your support. More information and background below.

Where will the money go today?

Kate’s father, Petro, has completely lost his income during the war, although he continues to work every day, with no pay. Kate’s mother, Svitlana, has retirement income, but their bills far exceed their income. Kate’s grandmother (Dad’s mom), Anna, lives with her parents and is immobile. They are struggling to cover expenses for themselves such as food, water, utilities, medication, and other necessary supplies. Over the last couple of weeks, Kate’s parents also took in 5 families (a total of 21 people) from bigger cities that have needed shelter. The money raised will directly support the people they are taking care of and her family members.

Family history

Kate was born in 1992 in Chernivtsi, Ukraine right after the Soviet Union collapsed. Life was very challenging, but her family was resilient and always committed to hard work and taking care of others. Her parents (mother, Jewish and father, Christian), met each other and worked at “Kvartz” factory where they produced military equipment. As a young couple in the Soviet Union, they were promised by the government that they would get a free apartment, but it never happened. They struggled financially and lived in a small, 190 square foot room in a student dormitory, where the family shared a kitchen and bathroom with 16 other families. Kate and her mom lived in the village to take care of her grandma (mom’s mom) until she was 7 years old while her dad lived in the city to work. During that time, she only saw her father two times per month, as he brought them food and supplies. After her grandma passed away, Kate and her mother moved back to the city. At that time, Kate continued her education in the city. She was awarded a scholarship for technical school to study accounting and then went to the university to study English and teaching. Kate started coming to the U.S through a work and travel program when she was 18 years old, then went back to Ukraine to finish school. Kate received a student visa to move to the U.S at the age of 20 (8 years ago). Each week, Kate sends money to her parents to support their living expenses and medical needs. Once a month, Kate has been sending packages with food, medical supplies, clothing, and other items.

We love our nanny, Kate, and would like to do everything we can as a community to help support her family during this difficult and unimaginable time.

Thank you for your support! Every dollar counts and we are so appreciative of your generosity. We are so fortunate to live with freedom and basic resources every single day.

Thank you,

Megan & Jason