Dear Editor:

We want to acknowledge and thank all who have donated to HelpUkraine22. The outpouring of generosity and concern by this community for a faraway people has been awe-inspiring.

As soon as Russia’s war against Ukraine began, HelpUkraine22 was started as an offshoot of the Committee for Open Democracy (COD), a US based 501(c)3 organization established in 2010 to support democratic institutions in Ukraine.

HelpUkraine22’s mission of “rescue, relief and resupply” has the agility to act quickly and efficiently to help people caught in the gaps - people who may have been trapped for weeks in shelters without adequate food supplies, women who may have been raped by Russian soldiers, people who have found themselves in the crossfire of a war they didn’t start and who may require critical medical assistance. HelpUkraine22 uses its intimate knowledge of the country and its ability to respond swiftly to address the most urgent needs by rushing, for example, into Bucha as the Russians were retreating and before the larger aid organizations could mobilize help.

The following link opens an interview with Brian Mefford, director of the organization behind HelpUkraine22, as he describes the work that is being done. https://video.foxnews.com/v/6304243972001#sp=show-clips

Please know that Brian, himself, is aware of all the donations that have come from the Boothbay peninsula and expressed his thanks, in particular, for the substantial contribution made by the membership of the Boothbay Harbor Rotary.

Please keep Ukraine and her people in your prayers and continue to support HelpUkraine22.org.

With much appreciation.

Paul and Carole Zalucky

Southport