Hi friends,
Every day the news from Ukraine gets a little easier to scroll past. But behind those headlines are kids who went to sleep one night with a family and woke up without one. Some are four years old. Some are seventeen. All of them are just kids.
I can't fix the war. Neither can you. But together we can make sure that this winter, a child in Ukraine opens a box and finds something that was chosen just for them, by someone thousands of miles away who cared.
That's the miracle they're waiting for. It costs the price of a lunch, and it takes two minutes.
Meet the kids we'll be helping
These are the children who will open our boxes this winter. They live in an orphanage in central Ukraine, and I spoke with the manager there myself to make sure our gifts go exactly where they're needed. The kids are between 4 and 17 years old, and their parents died in the war. They play soccer, they do their homework, and they share bunk beds in the home that takes care of them now. Just like kids everywhere, they deserve warmth, a little fun, and someone who remembers them.
What they need most
I asked the manager what would help the most. Here's the answer.
1. Warm clothes for winter
This is the top priority. Ukrainian winters are long and cold, and power outages make them colder. Jackets, hoodies, hats, gloves, thermal layers, and warm socks will get these kids through to spring.
2. Toys and things that make life fun
These kids have been through so much more than any child should. Board games, balls, art supplies, books, and stuffed animals bring back a little joy and let them just be kids again.
Everything on the Amazon list is picked with this in mind, for boys and girls from 4 to 17.
How we'll make it happen
You shop, I receive
Buy a gift from the Amazon list by November 10. It ships straight to me in Brooklyn.
I pack the boxes
My living room becomes a warehouse. Totally worth it.
Off to Ukraine
I send the boxes with Meest Express, a delivery company that specializes in shipping from the US to Ukraine. By sea, they arrive in 4 to 6 weeks.
You get the pictures
I'll share photos from both ends: leaving Brooklyn and arriving in Ukraine.
Help the boxes make the trip
A gift sitting in Brooklyn doesn't help anyone, so shipping is the other half of the miracle. I'm sending everything by sea because it's the cheapest way. One big box holds about 66 lb of gifts and costs around $90 to ship. With everything you all send, I expect a few boxes, so the total will probably be around $400, depending on the final weight.
$10 ships a warm hoodie and a toy.
Every dollar goes to shipping, and anything left over goes into the next box.
Somewhere, a child is hoping that someone out there still thinks of them. Let's answer.
Gift list closes November 10. Christmas is waiting.
Send a gift to a child