Help The Ukrainian Refugees

Hi everyone!

As some of you may know, I write to you from Poland where I'm helping refugees. So far, that help has come in the form of serving food to hungry Ukrainians with the World Central Kitchen at Warsaw Central train station. I've interacted with so many different Ukrainians, some come with only the clothes on their back, others with designer bags around their arms. Families of all shapes and sizes come through our tent, babies, kids, parents, grandparents, and even great grandparents. But they all share one thing in common: fleeing from a war they didn't ask for. No matter who walks down our humble buffet line, they are all grateful for a greeting in Ukrainian and food in their bellies. At this point, three full days in, I've served food to thousands of refugees. You start to notice the similarities, some are wide-eyed kids who don't remember life without conflict, some are parents with anxiously furrowed brows just hoping to feed their children, and some have a hardness behind their eyes that shows they've seen shit you and I only read about in the news. There is much pain in our serving tent, but every so often it's penetrated by the untarnished joy of a child as their eyes go wide when handed the first candy bar they've seen in probably months.

The World Central Kitchen is an incredibly well-run organization, they've been helping those who are hungry and in need for over a decade, and in the grand scheme of things they are doing an amazing job. But sometimes the small, fleeting moments (like handing a kid a candy bar) get swept under the rug. It's in these instances that I wish to help more. Nothing compares to giving these refugees a little taste of home while they're on their treacherous journey: a fresh cup of coffee or tea in the morning, a boiled egg with breakfast instead of porridge, bakery bread with Ukrainian borsch instead of tomato soup for lunch, or potatoes with dinner instead of cost-efficient couscous. To us, these may seem like the most minute details, but to them, they mean the world.

I'm immensely grateful to be a small part of the effort. This is a hardship similar to the one all four of my grandparents endured 80 years ago, and to be able to give back to those who are going through similar struggles means so much. Now, I wish to give a similar opportunity to all of you. If you are able, any sort of donation helps, even a dollar. Your contributions will go towards buying familiar supplies in an unfamiliar land, in the hopes of giving these Ukrainians a taste of home, and with only a week remaining, we'll put your charity to good use with haste. If you have taken the time to read this far, I applaud you and I thank you, you have done more in this effort than most of the population.

Thank you (Дякую, pronounced dyakooyou, in Ukrainian) and all the best,

- Lev :)