The following is from members Craig and Courtney Irving:
Friends, Our future daughter-in-law, Margo, emigrated from Ukraine a few years ago to make a better life for herself. She opened her own retail coffee business over two years ago. With the exception of her sister, all of Margo’s family lives in Ukraine. Her mother lives in Rivne, a town 100 miles west of Kyiv, and is the location where 20 civilians were killed when Russian troops bombed the city on 3/15/22. Margo’s mother, like millions of others, no longer has a job, no income, no savings, and struggling to afford food. All the people left in Rivne bring what little food they have (mostly potatoes and flour), and make perogies at the local high school. Volunteers load the food on buses and try to deliver it to those who are hiding in bomb shelters, with no access to food, as well as the brave men who are fighting on the front lines to save their country from this horrible invasion. They try desperately to get this food to the people of Kyiv, Mariupol and Kharkiv because they are some of the most in need. Each day we see Putin’s military attacks civilian neighborhoods and hospitals. A massive number of innocent men, women and children of Ukraine are starving.
We sent Margo money last week through Venmo, which she immediately transferred to her mother. Her mother then was able to go buy ingredients necessary to make thousands of portable and sustainable food items which were then distributed to nearly impossible to reach Ukrainians. And we all know there are organizations such as the Red Cross helping Ukraine, but they can’t access people like Margo’s mother, like the people stuck in cities like Kyiv, Maripul or Kharkiv, hiding underground. We are happy we have been able to do something that has made an immediate and positive impact on a fraction of those suffering in Ukraine. We felt we should share this with our friends and family allowing you the opportunity to help in any way possible. Any amount, even $5, helps. If you are interested, Venmo Margo directly (@margaryta_Gvritishvili), and she will send it immediately to her mother. Below are some photos she sent back showing how she used our donation. Thank you for anything you can do.
Sincerely, Courtney & Craig Irving
619-922-8082 (Craig’s cell)
