Ukraine Emergency Relief

  Trip to the East Summary: Received a call from a community in eastern Ukraine that had been under Russian occupation for over 30 days requesting food as they have had to ration their own to eat only once a day. Their factory where the community worked had been destroyed which left little resources to purchase any food that was available. HFL partnering with a Ukrainian church, and a Dutch organization to provide food and supplies to this village. Through the devastation we travelled onward until we finally reached a village less than 10 km from the Russian border. This community was not touched but were cut off from supplies due to Russian troops occupying the North and South of them. Ukrainian forces pushed the Russians back which gave us the ability to deliver much needed food aid to mostly the elderly and disabled. Fuel was a major issue as most gas stations had 1 to 2 hour lines to only pump 5 to 10 liters, but we were able to overcome that. Many of the bridges were blown up but

 In December 2021, the Fraser Valley group sent boxes to Ukraine. As Russian forces were driven back, routes were opened and this past week our partners began receiving the boxes which included 39 of them to Poltava. Thank you so much to all for caring for the needs of Ukrainians. “We have 50,000 refugees officially registered in our town here and unofficially it’s about 100,000. We can’t express to you how much this help means to us. Many people received beddings, clothes, shoes and other supplies. The Lord is giving us tremendous opportunities to help people. I was also able to bring food supplies to many of the surrounding areas.” - Tent Ministry (Michael)

April 20, 2022 There has been already $1.8 million implemented and 600 tonnes of food provided for people all across the country, which includes those in conflict areas. Hungry For Life is limiting the amount of deliveries to approximately 2 Sprinter-size vans a day to spread out the food and supplies we have remaining in the warehouses. We did send another 40ft truck this week to Mykolaiv, as the fighting has intensified and we want to make sure there is food available if supply lines get cut off. The need is desperate and we will continue to give all that we can towards helping others. Check out this video of the courage and resiliency of those who continue to stay, so that food can be brought to those who need it so desperately.      

After sending out more than 450 deliveries across the country, Mary and I decided to take a direct part in distributing food and supplies by traveling to northern Ukraine. The first day, we brought in supplies to Irpin and Bucha where they will be distributed throughout the communities.     The following day, we attempted to travel to Chernobyl but were not able to make it as bridges had been destroyed by the Russian army. There were only a few families remaining in the village that had been completely devastated. Being able to participate in delivering even just a small amount of food and supplies gave me a greater appreciation for all the help that has, and continues to be, provided all across the country. It's not about the numbers or statistics, but rather the provision for people in their darkest of hour. Thank you to all who have contributed towards that effort.    

In this update we can tell you that we have had approximately 420 vehicles sent out from our warehouses ranging from 40ft trucks to sprinter vans to small vehicles which enable drivers to take routes that are off road so they can reach areas in the conflict zones.   We are unable to meet the daily increase in need and have had to make the difficult decision to only send food to those in the most critical situations. Communities that have been liberated from under Russian occupation such as Irpin, Bucha, and Chernihiv and communities that are still in the conflict zones. Hungry for Life has been able to send 400 tonnes of food across the country for refugee’s and those still “living” in conflict zones.    Hungry For Life wants to thank all the donors, who have supported our work in the past month. But we still need your help, to continue helping those in need.    It is encouraging how many people Chad and Mary and their team were able to help. As the pictures show the food is distribute

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Chad and Mary have so far been able to distribute 300 tonnes of food, with most of their efforts focused on conflict zones. They have been able to send over 240 vans and trucks to these areas to help over 100,000 people in the warzone.   However, with the current pace of help needed they will be running out of supplies at the end of this week. This is not because they don’t have access to food and supplies, but because they are running out of funds.   Chad and Mary recognize that they are not the ones who are driving the train. God already provided 1.5 million dollars to help 100,000 people so far. But the train is not slowing down, and your help is still necessary.   The need for food is huge. At this point, it is extremely difficult for the volunteers to get the food and supplies to the warzone areas. An example of the risk that drivers are willing to take is that one driver is not able to get out of the community, because the bridge was bombed.