July 2024
Dear Friends of Ukraine,
Power - what does it really mean to live without power in the modern world? The barrage of missile attacks on power plants this spring have left many Ukrainians without electricity - a concept that's hard to fathom for those of us who live where power is reliable. No power often means no water in summer and no warmth in winter, as utility stations need electricity to provide these services. It often also means no access to Internet, TV or radio, and hence no information about when or where the next air raid may strike. Yet the power of spirit in remains high in Ukraine.
Read on to learn about why power is so critical on the front lines–the impetus for our new initiative to Give Power - provide generators, batteries and power packs to Defenders. This newsletter also contains information about aid we’ve recently delivered, recent and upcoming events in the USA, and a profile of one of our team members in Ukraine, whose whole adult life has been centered on maintaining Ukraine's sovereignty and cultural identity. Read on, or read no further and simply click the ’Donate Now!’ button above to help us provide key medical, tactical, protective and humanitarian aid to Ukraine today.
Let’s show Ukrainians our support! Together we are stronger!
Andriy, Natalie, and all of us at
Sunflower Seeds Ukraine
Spread Seeds of Help!
P.S. Are you reading this newsletter on a device you charged last night? Click here to help Ukrainans keep their devices charged up even when the power is out
YOUR DONATIONS AT WORK: JUNE 2024
Did you know that standard issue Ukrainian Defender gear weighs 77 pounds? That's a heavy load when your goal is to move undetected by a watchful enemy with eyes in the sky. The high-quality tactical gear we provide significantly lightens that load, improving defenders’ mobility and efficiency, reduces fatigue, and saves lives.
During the month of June, we provided Ukrainian Defenders with 115 basic medical sets, over 300 protective equipment items, 286 uniform components and 385 tactical gear items, including 115 individual first aid kits, 126 knee and elbow pads, 136 backpacks, and 149 active earmuffs. Thank you for making this help possible!
GIVE POWER TO UKRAINIAN DEFENDERS!
One of our most active supporters, Vala Soloway, recently got in touch to ask about how Ukrainian Defenders are coping with power outages. The answer: Because they can’t count on the grid, they have to rely on generators, batteries, power banks and converted solar panels. As a result, requests for these items are pouring into our organization.
We kicked off the Give Power campaign with a $5,000 matching donation from Vala, and are asking you–her fellow Sunflower Seeds Ukraine supporters–to help us reach this campaign's $10,000 goal. Every contribution will be doubled by the generous matching gift from Vala!
To do their work, Ukrainian Defenders rely on electronic devices like battery-powered communication radios, navigation tables, reconnaissance drones and protective drone jammers. For these devices to keep working, they need to be charged periodically, just like your smartphone. Make a gift to Give Power campaign today, and help us meet Vala’s goal of $10,000 by the end of August, so that we can send generators, batteries, and power banks where they’re needed most.
JOIN US AT AN UPCOMING EVENT!
Summer months have been very busy for us, with Sunflower Seeds Ukraine volunteers throughout Colorado hosting or attending more than a dozen of events. Stay up to date with events we are co-organizing by frequently checking the Events Page on our website. This Saturday, August 24th, is Ukraine's Independence Day, and we’ll be celebrating it at the always inspiring Ukrainian Independence Day Festival being hosted by Ukrainians of Colorado. We hope to see you there!
One of the events we recently hosted was Dine Out for Ukraine, and it was a resounding success. On July 25th, hundreds of our supporters headed to more than 20 participating Colorado restaurants, and ice cream and coffee shops to participate in Dine Out for Ukraine. Thanks to the generosity of all kinds of eateries, there was something for everyone, from eggs benny to tacos, pizza to sushi, and even Borscht, the beloved Ukrainian beet soup on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list!
The annual event has become one of our biggest fundraisers and an amazing way to pledge your support to the Ukrainian people while also supporting local businesses in Colorado. The next time you’re headed out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, ice cream, coffee or a beer, we hope you’ll head to one of the participating restaurants, all of whom are listed on the Dine Out 2024 page!
TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: NAZAR KRAVCHUK
Meet Nazar—one of a handful of Sunflower Seeds volunteers in Ukraine who works to take in requests from Ukrainian Defenders, vet and fulfill them, sometimes in person and sometimes by delivery or mail. Nazar was born, raised and still lives in the town of Zdolbuniv in the Rivne region of Ukraine, where he is pursuing an advanced degree in national security. “A natural choice,” explains Nazar, “as the war in Ukraine has been going on since 2014.”
When asked what distinguishes Sunflower Seeds Ukraine from other volunteer organizations in Ukraine, Nazar says, “Sunflower Seeds Ukraine plays an important role in providing Defenders with military equipment that is easy to lose in combat and that the state does not have time to issue on short notice. Sunflower Seeds helps to cover the immediate needs of the soldiers so that they do not have to spend time and effort looking for it or buying it themselves. There are few such organizations in Ukraine.”
To read more about Nazar, go to our Patreon page, where we post longer profiles of our team members from around the world. There, you also can find exclusive behind-the-scenes videos that show how we get supplies where they’re needed and interviews with recipients of our aid at the front lines.
NEWS FROM UKRAINE: THE KURSK OPERATION
The recent Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region caught not only you and us by surprise but, most importantly, russia itself, and even many defense intelligence agencies around the world. Make no mistake: Ukraine does not want russian territory, but it does need to change the narrative, and this incursion has accomplished that in Ukraine, in russia, and around the world. This is the biggest incursion into russia since WW2. The restraint with which Ukrainian forces are treating the local russian population has not gone unnoticed–a stark contrast to the rape, abduction and murder russian forces bring to the occupied Ukraine.
Across the media we trust, a consensus seems to be emerging that there are multiple overlapping objectives for this incursion, including: pulling russian forces from eastern Ukraine; severing logistical supply lines of russian operations in Northern Ukraine; getting a bargaining chip in case of negotiations that may come from changing political winds, and more. But, most importantly, this operation demonstrates that russia is not invincible and that all those ‘red lines’ and nuclear sable-rattling are empty threats. ‘The king is naked’ as the saying goes.
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD
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*Misspelling and lower-casing proper names in this newsletter are intentional and used as signs of disdain and disrespect. Similarly, uppercasing of words such as Defenders are intentional and used as signs of respect and appreciation.
Note: Sunflower Seeds Ukraine raises funds as an initiative of Ukrainians of Colorado, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations and gifts are tax deductible to the full extent allowed under IRS regulations and the U.S. law.
