Direct help to my family and friends in Ukraine

My name is Kateryna Crane. I am a Ukrainian living in the United States of America. As you all know, Russia has invaded Ukraine. My family and friends in Ukraine are suffering. There are a lot of charities working to support Ukraine in general, but my goal is to help the people from the community where I grew up. I was born and lived in Mykolaiv city in southern Ukraine for 22 years. I spent my weekends at my sister’s house in the nearby village of Posad Pokrovske, Kherson oblast. Right now these places are being bombed and surrounded by tanks and troops of the Russian military. My family and friends are spending nights in bomb shelters, basements, and cellars to be safe - to protect themselves and their loved ones. I would like to tell you about a few of these people, and how your donations would help them directly.

My friend, Yulia Vodovozova, lives in Mykolaiv. She has a husband and 2 young children. I used to work with her; now I text her each day just to make sure she and her family are still alive. Her husband, Vanya, is volunteering for territorial defense protection at night and during the day he drives food around the city for those who are in need, while Yulia hides in a shelter with their sons. Yulia and Vanya will help spread your donations to support the everyday needs in their community. They will feed those who are hungry, they will give water to those who are thirsty, they will help to get medicines to those who are sick or wounded. They will also transfer your donations to other families and friends in need, including help that is needed for my family and friends in Ukraine. One of them is my friend Anastasiia Strok’s parents, who live in Ochakiv, Mykolaiv oblast, where the Russian army bombed a nearby military base. Because of the explosion, their house lost a few windows. It will feel good to be able to help them to repair those.

My sister, Natasha Chorna, has a husband who is a retired firefighter, and a son who is currently working as a firefighter in Mykolaiv city. Many of the local roads have been blocked by the invading Russian military, and there are gas shortages and no safe roads to travel to work. My family has 3 cows, 4 dogs, 3 cats, and dozens of chickens, ducks and quails to take care of. All the stores are empty right now - there is almost no food left to buy. Luckily my family has their own milk products from the cows, vegetables from the garden, and meat from the birds they have. But there will be a time when they will need more food, and prices will be much higher than usual. Daily life will become more difficult. With your support, it will feel good to be able to help them to provide food for themselves and for the animals that they need to take care of.

The most important person for me in Ukraine is my mother, Vira Prysiazhniuk, who was supposed to arrive to America on Friday, February 25th. Her flight was canceled one day before her trip because of the war. She woke me up with a phone call to tell me that she can hear explosions outside her apartment building and that she was scared. 

All my family and friends are scared. They don’t know what to do, and I don’t know how to help them. That’s why I am creating this fundraiser - to feel that we are doing something. Even if the donations will not get to them right away (because of closed banks or no cash in the ATMs), your donations will make a difference after this war is over, when it is time for people to rebuild their lives. I would love your support, so I can help my family, friends, and others in need in their community. Your donations will help them to buy food, buy water, get medications, help with the costs of daily life, and to repair their homes.

We can help from a community to a community.

Thank you for your support!