Dear community, last year, both of our Ukrainian schools in San Francisco, together with parishioners from both churches, St. Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, initiated a charity campaign to help children whose parents died in battle, paying the highest price for Ukraine's independence. Twenty-two packages with gifts were sent for St. Nicholas Day and Christmas to 22 families, and for the remaining 32 families, an additional $3,050 was collected and $50 was given to each child who did not receive a package.

This idea was made possible thanks to volunteers from Ukraine and Inna Bibik from the Ukrainian Consulate in San Francisco, who provided lists of families, and also thanks to the efforts of many volunteers from San Francisco and the Bay Area who collected, sorted, and sent the packages. But this charity campaign was successful thanks to you, the caring members of our community, those who responded to the call with donations of goods and money.

The reaction of families in Ukraine was very emotional; people were deeply touched by our attention, by the fact that somewhere on the other side of the world, their compatriots not only know about their sacrifice but also care about them. Those small gifts received from California also provided tremendous moral support, which cannot be overestimated.

So we are again asking you to open your hearts and repeat the campaign to help children. It is desirable to bring new items that will be useful, such as shoes, clothing, diapers, care products, school supplies (backpacks, pens, markers, pencils), games and soft toys, and tasty treats. We are also collecting money. We have expanded our campaign to include the Ukrainian Center in Santa Clara.

 

Thank you very much for your help!