Scouts of Odes(s)a Food Aid

 

Hello everyone,

 

 

My name is Lena Tsykynovska. I grew up in Odessa, Ukraine, and immigrated to Massachusetts with my family when I was ten.

 

Stella Stoyanova, a beloved friend of my family who lives in Odessa, is organizing food deliveries to vulnerable families in Odessa, thrown into poverty and hunger by the war. She explains the project in more detail in the video above.

 

Many charitable organizations support the Ukrainian military, and many others work with refugees fleeing the war, but very few resources are currently available to elderly, sick, or disabled people who remain in Ukraine, as well as mothers of families who have lost their jobs because of the war, and who suddenly find themselves unable to feed their children. Many people have run out of food at home, and have no money to buy more. They don’t know how they’ll survive the next few days, especially since Russian troops are right now encircling Odessa.

 

Stella, a psychologist and a troop leader of the Odessa Scouts (Odyssey troop), has assembled a team of Scout leaders, parents of Scouts, and young Scouts to deliver boxes of rice, flour, cooking oil, and other staples to families in need. The adults are in charge of purchasing and delivery, while the young Scouts are helping to pack boxes, and making notes and drawings to cheer up the recipients. Stella’s son and grandson have been able to flee Ukraine, but she and her husband (my childhood doctor) are staying behind to help.

 

Here are some pictures of a Scout (looking a little sad and stressed) and his mom (looking brave) preparing a box for delivery:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some pictures of families receiving food from Scout volunteers:








And a picture of Stella and some of the Scouts from peacetime:

 

 

 

 

 

How the donations work:

 

1) The donations to this Go Fund Me transfer into my American bank account. 2) Twice per week, I send a SWIFT transfer into the Scouts of Odessa Food Aid account. 3) The troop uses these funds to buy rice, noodles, flour, cooking oil, infant formula, and cabbage/apples if available, for vitamins. 4) With the help of the young Scouts, they pack the food into boxes, and deliver them to families in the community who are in need. It costs about $20 to feed a family of three for one week, and $80 to feed a family for one month. The Scouts have delivered to twenty-one families in the last three days, and are receiving many more calls for aid. 

 

 

We really appreciate your help. Food and peace for all.

 

 

Lena and Stella