VANCOUVER, Wash. — A Vancouver man who grew up in Ukraine has raised over $100,000 with an online fundraiser help feed people who are struggling in his home country following the Russian invasion.
Ivan Soboviy started the fundraiser after his uncle in Ukraine, Andriy Vasylenko, asked for help.
Vasylenko lives right outside of Kyiv. He said because of the war, many shops and stores are closed and food can be hard to get. Before the war, he worked for the baking industry, and now he's using all of his supplies to make bread and soup for people in need.
"We're serving around 1,700 loafs of bread and up to 2,000 portions of soup," Vasylenko said.
He said thousands of meals have been served thanks to his nephew's fundraiser. He and several other volunteers are preparing the food and using the money to build up a large stock pile.
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"The frontline is 10 kilometers from us, so it's very close," Vasylenko said. "When we are sleeping at home, our windows are shaken from explosions and 10-15 kilometers from here, some villages are flattened completely."
Soboviy has lived in Vancouver for about 20 years. He left Ukraine when he was about 11 years old. He said he's had a lot of sleepless nights worrying about his family still living in Ukraine, and that starting the fundraiser was the least he could do.
"When you're donating, this is not something that will just help in the future," Soboviy said. "This is something that's helping now. This is actually people on the ground feeding people."
If you'd like to donate to the fundraiser, go to this website.