“From the warehouse - and immediately to Bakhmut”: how benefactors from the foundation help the military and civilians

“From the warehouse - and immediately to Bakhmut, - says Serhiy, a volunteer of the All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation “Peace and Goodness”, which has been dealing with the problems of Ukrainians since 2010 and for the second time in a week gives our soldiers another batch of aid, - They shipped the most necessary: ​​food, water, medical equipment and medicines, equipment for sappers, rescuers, protective helmets, body armor and much more.”

In general, the Foundation tries to cover all requests coming from the Defense Forces. Nevertheless, in addition to cars, drones and military ammunition, the Foundation pays great attention to providing soldiers with normal food, drinking water, medicines, and personal hygiene products.

However, for more than six months, the Fund’s compositions were blocked. All because of the desire of some officials and their henchmen to “warm hands” on charitable assistance. The villains, having connections and influence by misleading the representatives of the Foundation, seized and locked up the warehouses that stored charitable aid from the front and the Ukrainians who suffered from the war. More than $2 million worth of property was blocked.

Part of the aid was donated to us from philanthropists from abroad, part was bought for people’s donations and our own funds. This train was the main one, from which we unloaded humanitarian aid for the needs of both the front and the civilian population,” - tells Vice-President of the Foundation Alexander Tsverkovich.

It is not surprising that the proposal that the volunteers received from the “new” owners of the premises was as follows: we sell humanitarian aid, we share the money. Having been refused, they took a different path. With the help of “titushki” from the security company, while the latter did not let the representatives of the Fund into the warehouses, the attackers gradually took property out of the warehouses, some of the assistance, especially food products, simply deteriorated. And such lawlessness took place in the capital of Ukraine, at a time when all this should go to the front and to the de-occupied regions.

Representatives of the ACF “Peace and Goodness” have repeatedly appealed to law enforcement officers, to the courts and to the city authorities. However, time was running out, and nothing was decided. Then the representatives of the Fund, having received a document from the national police about the legitimacy of their rights in access to the composition, together with the military, to whom most of this assistance was assigned, went to the warehouses.

The security was not going to let the volunteers in. But due to the fact that our heroes-defenders arrived with the representatives of the Fon, they decided not to resist and after consulting with their owners by phone, they let us through.

Thus, with the support of the military, the volunteers were able to get into the premises with humanitarian aid and start distributing it. Part of the humanitarian aid immediately went to the hottest spot in Bakhmut.

In particular, the medical company of the National Guardsmen was replenished with 14 medical stretchers, 10 complete first-aid kits, ankle braces, catheters, syringes, diapers, antiseptics, dressings, plasters and thermofoil.

“Through brothers we learned about the Fund, applied and received help, - said one of the soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine during loading, - We were given a lot of necessary things, it is very difficult to list everything. In addition to medical supplies and equipment, they also received a lot of products, hygiene products, dishes, karimats, energy drinks, and helmets. Our fighters are still resisting the aggressor on all fronts, firmly holding the line. Therefore, we are sincerely grateful to the benefactors.”

The State Special Transport Service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine received 4 pallets of pasta, 2985 cans of stew, 8 tons of flour, 749 bottles and 5607 cans of sweet drinks, 34 medical burdens, 35 fire hoses, 17 body armor, etc.

The Georgian National Legion, whose fighters are fighting as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and recently received more than five hundred fighters, received 35 boxes of meat ham, 1,400 cans of stew, antiseptics, blankets, tactical suits, first-aid kits, etc. as assistance from the Fund.

Only in the last few days, representatives of the Fund have loaded several trucks and minibuses with the most necessary things for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the National Police and rescuers. We also helped the Kyiv City Center for Social Support for Children and Families.

Actually, the World Charity Fund “Peace and Kindness” has been working and helping for more than 10 years. First, patrons of the Foundation took care of low-income and large families, orphans, the elderly and the development of children’s sports in Ukraine. With the outbreak of war in 2014, the Fund was transformed to meet the needs of society. Much attention was paid to the front. In 2014, these were humanitarian convoys to volunteer battalions, especially those defending Mariupol. We continued to provide targeted assistance to sick children and orphanages, volunteers supported low-income families and took care of the elderly.

With the start of full-scale aggression in 2022, new directions were opened: the restoration of schools, kindergartens, houses of culture, damaged or destroyed as a result of the war. More attention was paid to the families of migrants and orphans.

In the shortest possible time, thanks to the dedication of the Foundation’s volunteers, it was possible to organize headquarters to provide urgent assistance to victims of Russian aggression. These points appeared in Kyiv, Kyiv, Kharkov, Sumy, Zaporozhye, Nikolaev, Donetsk and Kherson regions. Mobile teams were also set up to deliver aid to the affected regions and the war zone.

In the first 100 days of a full-scale war, the volunteers of the Foundation, together with like-minded people, fed 50 thousand people daily, and for 150 days from February 24, representatives of the World Charity Fund “Peace and Kindness” distributed more than 100 thousand food packages, delivered 7 thousand tons of food and 120 tons of drinking water. In addition to the social and humanitarian component, philanthropists actively worked in the military direction. In particular, 30 vehicles, 5 evacuation buses, spare parts for equipment, drones, military ammunition and equipment were purchased, repaired and transferred to the frontline.

The representatives of the Foundation have repeatedly chosen the hottest spots - Avdiivka, Bakhmut - as the destination of their charitable mission. After all, the support of the defense forces in these areas is strategically important for our Victory, and everyone understands this. So they will certainly continue to help, the volunteers are sure, until we win.

Despite the fact that philanthropists were able to get into the warehouses and continue their work, however, the situation remains unresolved in the legal field, and those responsible for the blocking have not been punished.