5 Ways to Support Ukraine

From helpless to helpful. 

At some point, you’ve probably scrolled over the famous Mr. Rogers quote, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” There’s good reason the sentiment has become ubiquitous of late; our instinct to search for those helpers is in high demand. Whether it’s watching taxi drivers drive Ukrainian refugees to Madrid over five days or the sweet way in which Italian schoolchildren greeted their new Ukrainian classmates, our faith in people continues to find its way toward restoration. And as action-prone grown-ups, these stories have ignited our own inner helpy helperton. If you, too, are ready to give an assist, we’ve rounded up some avenues worthy of your attention.

Chef’s kiss.

If you weren’t already familiar with Chef José Andrés, surely by now you’ve caught a glimpse of him and his white beard serving hot meals to Ukrainian refugees at the Polish border with his World Central Kitchen, which provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. If you follow this org, you’ll see it’s providing far more comfort than the meals themselves—even installing Starlink equipment in Ukraine to keep the internet and other online services running. We give it 5 stars.

Play host.

Airbnb’s efforts to shelter refugees and aid Ukrainian hosts have been well covered and applauded (rightfully so), and are worthy of donation. But if you’re actually thinking about rolling out the welcome mat yourself, we like Ukraine Take Shelter. Created by two Harvard students, the site has over 7,000 listings and is a quick way to match refugees and available shelter without the bells and whistles of other rental services. 

Think big.

While we love a good upstart here at The Verse, when it comes to delivering vital services in active conflict, the already-entrenched organizations have an edge. Think: International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, International Committee of the Red Cross and International Medical Corps. Many of these groups have been on the ground long before the invasion, and are skilled at administering necessary aid. 

Force multiply.

With all going down in the world, you may have forgotten that a crisis of a different type put a serious damper on gathering, lo these past two years. However, with warmer weather and boosted participants, this is a reminder that you can amplify your own charitable efforts by making them group activities. Whether at your workplace or in your community, coming together for a fundraiser will have your cups overflowing with the joy of contributing to a good cause—and doing so while connecting with others.