JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Restore Ukraine, a nonprofit run by local Ukrainian ETSU student Yaro Hnatusko, shared a breakdown of the organization’s impact on Friday that says thousands of Ukrainian residents were provided food and other aid throughout the year.
Restore Ukraine was started shortly after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of the former Soviet republic in what President Vladimir Putin called a “Special Military Operation” that quickly evolved into a bitter conflict for the state’s future. Artillery rounds and cruise missiles launched by Russian forces shattered infrastructure and housing throughout the country, including much of Yaro’s hometown of Kharkiv. Located just south of Ukraine’s northeastern border with Russia, Kharkiv has seen some of the most intense bombing of the war.
In the beginning, Yaro and his brother Stan used the logistics network of Atlant, the country’s largest construction material supplier, to feed and house their displaced neighbors. Now the nonprofit is paired with the International Organization for Migration to provide housing and repair supplies to hundreds.
According to Restore Ukraine’s impact report, 500 people can hide in connected shelters at any given time. For a city facing bombing at random intervals, nearby hard shelter is a lifesaver.
Simple supplies are also in high demand, and Restore Ukraine’s announcement said volunteers provided 4,500 hygiene kits that cover a family’s cleaning and laundry needs for three months. Supply chains throughout Ukraine remain under attack, so the nonprofit provided 300 tons of food for Kharkiv residents to offset lost deliveries.
Owners of damaged homes received roughly 800 tons of building materials through home repair kits to help them weather the severe Ukrainian winter, and crews restored 40 apartments after missile strikes.
In the beginning of the conflict, Restore Ukraine’s kitchens reportedly fed between 3,000 and 4,000 people a hot meal every day.
In all, Yaro said Restore Ukraine managed to raise $1.5 million for use in humanitarian projects during the year. That soars well over his first goal of $1 million, and according to organization material, 95% of raised funds go straight into work on the ground rather than administrative costs.
For those who want to contribute to the organization’s 2023 work, donations can be made online.
