Lviv, Ukraine – March 7, 2022: Ukrainian refugees on Lviv railway station waiting for train to escape to Europe. /Photo by Rusian Lytvyn/iStock.
By Andrea Rouda
THERE’S A WAR on in Europe. As you may have heard between binge-watching your favorite dramatic series and playing your favorite video game, the people of Ukraine are being attacked by Russia. Forced to flee their homes with little but the clothes on their backs, they cradle their babies and pets in their arms. Food, water and safety are scarce.
Many of us have been watching the televised war in horror from the comfort of our homes. Last night I saw hundreds of people sheltering in a subway station deep below the city of Kyiv to escape bombs exploding above, while I snuggled under a fleecy blanket enjoying a scoop of salted caramel ice cream and a glass of Chianti. (Believe it or not, they go well together.)
Afterwards I logged onto Facebook and learned that Americans want to help, God bless them! Here’s some of the help I found:
* A woman on an art website I follow posted her 6-by-6 inch painting consisting of two blocks of the colors of the Ukrainian flag—blue and yellow—with a red heart in the middle. Her effort, which I’m guessing took her about 15 minutes to make, had gotten 187 likes by that point.
* Many, many people have added a border to their Facebook profile picture that says, “I STAND WITH UKRAINE.” Others have added the blue and yellow flag to their photos.
Aren’t those fun? They will help the Ukrainans not one bit, but somehow still make people feel better about themselves. I know it sounds nutty, but that’s people for you.
If you sincerely want to “stand with” the Ukrainians, SEND MONEY! There are many charities from which to choose.
For example, there’s José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen, whose teams are taking care of feeding Ukrainian refugees streaming across the border into Poland. Doctors Without Borders is another worthy cause, as is UNHCR, the UN agency for refugees. For more suggestions, refer to our post “Answering Ukraine’s Cry for Help. ”
—Andrea Rouda blogs at The Daily Droid.
Thank you! Another charity is UNITED HELP UKRAINE. We have a close friend whose husband is Ukrainian and his family is still there in Lviv Lynn has vouched for this charity so I donated here, but yes!! Wearing blue and yellow is feel good, but your money talks.