As September approaches, temperatures in Ukraine begin to drop, and communities are already thinking ahead to another harsh winter. For many displaced families, it means facing the cold with limited shelter, no heating, and scarce resources. The need is urgent: food, medications, hygiene items, sanitary supplies, generators, charging packs, bedding, clothing, and winter footwear are essential to survive.

 

People like Iryna, a refugee herself, are working tirelessly to make sure others don’t go without.

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“I arrived with my family in Pyatykhatky to escape the fighting,” Iryna recalls. “All we had was what we could pack into the car, and our cat, Pearl.”

 

They fled to Pyatykhatky in 2022, a small town of 20,000 people, known for its railway junction, schools, and surrounding farmland. “I got to know Marina at ‘Give Good’ and I have been working there ever since.”

 

Iryna now serves as a translator and helps coordinate aid distribution to 1,050 families supported by Give Good, many of whom have been displaced for over three years. The needs are overwhelming, and growing. “When trucks arrive here, it is a cause for celebration. The help is so important, everything we receive is encouragement.”

 

“We get clothes, shoes and all the other aid donated by NFFU. We pack it up and then hand it out. But there are always more people in need than ‘Give Good’ can serve”.

 

“We ask them to smile for the photographs,” Iryna says. “Most do, but some of the newly arrived refugees are too upset. They burst into tears.”

 

The war continues to touch every part of her life. Iryna’s husband’s mother and brother remain under Russian occupation. Contact is rare, and guarded.

 

“They tell us that everything is fine. They have to. They can’t say anything else.”

 

Still, in the midst of hardship, there is gratitude, and hope.

 

“We hope the war will be over, but sometimes it seems a long way away. 

 

We get scared of what the future might bring. But every kind word from New Forest gives us hope, and every box of aid we can distribute gives more comfort than you can imagine.”

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With winter fast approaching, the need has never been greater. Your support, and your vital donations can bring warmth, relief, and hope to those who need it the most. Please help today.