Category: News

 

A Coventry-based charity committed to fighting international hunger, is stepping up its Ukrainian support ahead of the onset of freezing winter temperatures.

Volunteers at Feed The Hungry, which has its headquarters in Binley, are appealing for continued donations to keep pace with escalating demand as thousands more residents prepare to flee the capital Kyiv under the threat of total power loss.

It comes at a time when 40% of Ukraine’s energy system has been destroyed or damaged by the war which has been raging since February. Kyiv’s mayor Vitaliy Klitschko says the majority of people are now moving to rural towns and villages, such as Izmail in the South of the country.

Through its network of six international offices and warehouses, Feed The Hungry has so far delivered over 100 containers or lorries each containing 2,000 tons (2,600 pallets) of aid, into the heart of towns and villages with internally displaced refugees right across Ukraine and Moldova.

Gwyn Williams, International Operations Director for Feed The Hungry, said: “Winter is drawing in fast in Ukraine with temperatures about to drop to below freezing in the coming days as Russia keeps targeting electric and water utility infrastructure.

“Feed the Hungry had been assisting with community programs in the area and were in a good place to add them to our response program. It is a town very typical of the many places we have been delivering aid to in Ukraine throughout this atrocious war.

“With warehouses in Prague and Bucharest we are well equipped to keep a steady flow of aid into Ukraine for as long as it takes. With the help of partner organisations and community groups, we’re helping to put food on the table where it’s needed most, both in Ukraine and in Poland Slovakia, Moldova and Romania, who have been generous in opening their doors to millions of people who have fled the war.”

Feed The Hungry are running events to pack food parcels for Ukrainian Refugees in Eastern Europe. People can support this effort by sponsoring either a full pallet or a number of food parcels. Donations will help to provide resource and defray the cost of shipping in order to get the parcels to people who have lost everything.

It will be all hands on deck when members of The Rotary Club of Warwick, Southam, Leamington, Kenilworth and Henley-in-Arden and Coventry Jubilee, Coventry Phoenix and Coventry Breakfast Rotary Clubs join volunteers from Feed The Hungry charity and others, to pack nearly 30,000 meals to be sent to children in Africa.

It marks a welcome return for the initiative after two years and organisers are inviting as many people as possible to lend their support, at Feed The Hungry’s warehouse in Binley, on Saturday, November 19^th, filling roles including packers, admin staff and car park marshals.

Further information about how to support these events or donate, can be found here

CASE STUDY: ROSA

Rosa is an 18-year-old Ukrainian Muslim who, at the beginning of the war, fled to the Czech Republic with her mother and younger sister, before being separated from them because she was pregnant as the authorities felt she needed separate housing.

Roza’s mother and sister ended up in Ostrava, Roza in Brno where the local church helped her find a small apartment on the outskirts of the city. However, she was sadly to be driven out by anti-Muslim threats from within her local community.

Following the Russian army’s retreat from Kyiv, Roza reunited with her mother and they returned home, only to learn the tragic news that her husband had been killed in action and their home destroyed by enemy artillery.

Roza is now staying with her late husband’s father-in-law who is elderly and frail and unable to work.

Daniel Skokan, who heads Feed The Hungry’s Prague office, recalled: “When we heard Roza’s story, we made an effort to find her and make sure that every month, from the aid sent by FTH to Ukraine, she receives a package of food to feed both herself, her baby and its grandfather.

“At the moment the electricity is out and they just can’t afford it. Their water is not running and probably won’t be available soon either. She has no money. Even if she had, the shops near her are almost empty and what is available is very expensive. She lives on what the church which receives help from Feed The Hungry provides.”

Daniel added: “This is just typical of the sort of stories we deal with every day. Every life counts, every person has value, every person is worth fighting for and we are grateful for all the partner organisation, companies, communities and individuals who have donated towards fighting attrition with generosity of heart.

“From the drivers that can queue for five days or more at border crossings and then drive hundreds of miles across Ukraine, to distribution centres and feeding centres in churches and community centres, cooking and sorting food seven days a week. To people here at home ready to donate finances, volunteer to pack and deliver food to our warehouses in Coventry.”

Alex Ilash, Pastor of a Church in Izmail, has seen first hand the difference the food donations are making in his city, one of seven districts of Odesa Oblast, stretching along the Danube River.

“Everyone here is most grateful for the much-needed and timely support. People are happier and we are thankful to Feed the Hungry for reaching out to help us in these dark days.”

More information about Feed The Hungry

• Feed The Hungry is an international Christian humanitarian organisation committed to fighting hunger due to poverty, war, famine and natural disasters. The charity works to reduce world hunger by establishing feeding programs following disaster relief operations in 21 different countries worldwide. With its partner organisations, since 1987, Feed The Hungry have globally assisted in feeding over 420,000 children every day in 25 countries. Feed The Hungry also provides disaster relief recovery programs through its network of community programs around the globe.
• Partners include: It Works Netherland, Red Wings UAE and UK, Rise Against Hunger, Rotary UK and Ireland and various local businesses, churches and individuals.
• According to the United Nations, at least 7 million people in Ukraine need humanitarian aid and protection. In addition to the more than 7 million refugees outside the country, an estimated 7 million people have been displaced within Ukraine, meaning that nearly one of every three Ukrainians has been forced from their homes.
• Refugees have fled to countries across Europe including Poland, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary, where they have been widely welcomed by governments and local communities. However, experts warn that as the conflict drags on, host community resources are being stretched — requiring support for local services that benefit both host community members and refugees.
• With over 7 million fleeing Ukraine as of early September, this has become the largest human displacement crisis in the world today, according to the N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
• N. agencies have observed a dramatic increase in global hunger, which was already on the rise, as conflict has complicated the delivery of critical food exports from Ukraine.

The festive countdown officially gets under way in Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday 19^th November with the Christmas Lights Switch-On and free activities and entertainment from 10am to 7pm.

The switch will be flicked at 5.15pm on Barclays Island, but there will also be plenty to do throughout the day, including a Festive Trail and Christmas shopping!

Families can soak up the festive joy of local choirs and other acts as they perform outside Lloyds Bank at the top of Bridge Street, there will be Christmas-themed street entertainment and rides, plus a selection of artisan stalls selling some spectacular Christmas goodies.

Diane Mansell, Stratford Upon Avon Business Improvement District (SUA BID) Manager said: “This year, Stratford Upon Avon BID has joined forces with Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council, Magic Alley, Christmas Light Committee, Bell Court, Royal Shakespeare Company and LSD Promotions to organise the event, and together have moved the Christmas Lights Switch-On to a Saturday for the first time in the Town’s history! We have arranged activities for the event’s 39^th year to allow all of our visitors the opportunity to start the festive season in style.”

Cheer on Father Christmas as he rides around the Town Centre in a beautiful horse-drawn carriage, or maybe even be among the lucky ones to accompany him! In the lead up to the event, enter the free competition over at: Christmas Upon Avon for the chance for one child and one accompanying adult to join Magic Alley’s Father Christmas on his horse-drawn carriage ride at the Christmas Lights Switch-On 2022. The winning family will also win a meal at Miller & Carter in Bell Court on 19^th November.

Take part in the free Festive Trail, organised by the Royal Shakespeare Company around the Town Centre; follow the Trail of wreaths, around the shops, restaurants and cafés, and maybe pick up some wonderful unique Christmas gifts or enjoy some festive refreshments along the way. The Trail will run from 19^th November until 1^st January.

The 2022 Christmas lights will see over three quarters of the Town’s display replaced with new decorations made from Blachere’s bioprint technology that emits ten times less CO² in its production than standard aluminium decorations. The scheme uses the latest LED technology with traditional designs that complement the Town’s streets and architecture.

Matthew Coombes, Chairman of Stratford-upon-Avon Christmas Lights Committee, said: “This marks a new chapter for the Christmas Lights; it was Blachere’s passion for Stratford-upon-Avon and the environment that won them the contract. I can’t wait to see the lights illuminating our beautiful town this Christmas.”

For more information about the Christmas Lights Switch-On event, the Royal Shakespeare Company Trail and the free competition to win the horse-drawn carriage ride with Magic Alley’s Father Christmas, visit the SUA BID website here