Since the earliest days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, we’ve stood alongside Ukrainian communities, helping people and animals navigate life amid destruction, displacement, and fear. As the conflict drags on, daily survival—not recovery—remains the reality for millions. Jobs are gone. Homes are damaged or lost. Support systems are fractured.
And yet, Ukrainians endure.
We meet these interconnected needs with compassion, consistency, and care. From food and warmth to veterinary aid and livelihood support, we show up thanks to the generosity of our donors and the strength of our partners.
Food, Warmth, and the Power of Showing Up
In Bilyi Kolodyaz’, a rural village just eight miles from the Russian border, families lined up quietly as snow drifted over frozen roads. Once home to around 4,000 people, the village now holds barely half that number. Jobs have vanished, farmland is mined, and missile strikes remain a constant threat. Those who remain are resilient but worn down.
With local partners, we delivered meal kits packed with staples like pasta, dry beans, and cooking oil—enough to prepare up to 78 meals per family. Alongside the food, we’ve distributed heavy, locally sourced blankets, a lifeline in homes with no reliable electricity or heat.
Over two days, Greater Good Charities staff and local partners distributed 1,500 meal kits and 4,000 blankets to families in the Balakliya region. While they waited, volunteers served meals—small gestures that brought warmth in more ways than one.
We’ve also reached those who can’t travel. In partnership with local organizations and local police, we’ve delivered thousands of humanitarian aid kits and blankets to villages in frontline and contested areas. Many of those reached have been elderly, sheltering in active war zones, living alone
These are the Ukrainians Greater Good Charities keeps showing up for.
Caring for Pets Left Behind
People aren’t the only ones left vulnerable.
Zhuchok, a 10-year-old dog, was wounded in the neck by shrapnel upon arrival in Kostyantynivka. He lost a lot of blood, and like so many animals left behind during the war, his survival was uncertain.
Greater Good Charities helped bring him to safety.
With support from donors and local partners, Zhuchok received urgent veterinary care, proper nutrition, and a safe place to heal. His recovery is one of many made possible through our continued support for animals in crisis.
As the war displaced millions, some were forced to flee without their pets— whether due to the urgency of evacuation, restrictions on transport, or already being separated when the crisis escalated. Many hoped to return for them, and some are still trying.
Greater Good Charities responded. Within weeks, we staffed border crossings with veterinarians and began delivering pet food. To date, we’ve delivered over 30 million meals to shelters, families, and street animals across Ukraine. We’ve winterized more than 120 shelters, providing insulated outdoor kennels for dogs and straw and firewood to keep cats warm— simple but life-saving solutions at a time when critical infrastructure is under attack, leading to widespread power outages across the country.
Through veterinary clinics, we’ve provided free spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, and parasite treatment for more than 2,100 animals. Early in the war, we also provided emergency veterinary care at border crossings, supporting families fleeing with their pets—often their only comfort in a time of fear.
We’ve partnered with more than 30 organizations across the region to strengthen Ukrainian shelter systems and extend our impact.
Showing up for animals helps communities hold on, too—relieving pressure, honoring bonds, and offering moments of care when they’re needed most.
And for many Ukrainians, holding on also means protecting the work that once sustained them.
Saving Bees—and Livelihoods
Beekeeping is a way of life for many in Ukraine, where hardworking beekeepers produce more than 75,000 tons of honey each year—making the country one of the world’s top five honey producers.
As war, flooding, and displacement devastate this fragile ecosystem, we are helping beekeepers hold on.
Through our Ukraine bee initiative, we support local beekeepers with the tools they need to restart their work and sustain their families. This includes:
- Food and supplies to save and support 29,700 colonies
- 137,000 pounds of sugar and pollen substitute
- 20,000 pounds of bee pollen substitute for starving bees
- Vaccines and cleaning products to protect against parasites and disease
In partnership with the Brotherhood of Ukrainian Beekeepers and non-profit Help on Bee Wings, we also provide programs for veterans to learn beekeeping.
Take Mykola, a beekeeper from Kherson, who lost all 300 of his hives after fleeing the fighting. When he returned, there was nothing left. With support from Greater Good Charities, he received new hives, queen bees, and the supplies needed to begin again.
His story is part of something bigger—supporting bees means supporting pollination, food production, and economic stability. And it helps communities keep going in the face of ongoing disruption.
Restoring Warmth and Safety with Shatterproof Windows
Throughout the war, repeated missile strikes have devastated Ukrainian homes and hospitals, including children’s and maternity facilities. Explosions shattered windows and left medical staff caring for patients amid dangerous debris.
Volodymyr Anatoliyovich, head of surgery at a Dnipro hospital, described performing an operation as explosions rocked the facility:
“We were mid-surgery when the explosions started. I sent the nurses who could leave to the basement, but we couldn’t stop—the patient was under anesthesia. Thank God we finished, and the explosions stopped. The nurses came back in shock. We were lucky our room had no windows; in the OR nearby, fragments were everywhere. It was horror.”
Yevhen Pilin, the hospital’s medical director, recounted how their facility had been hit five times, destroying more than 250 newly replaced windows. In partnership with Insulate Ukraine, Greater Good Charities installed temporary, shatterproof windows that don’t break during explosions, provide insulation, and let in light—critical for patient care and safety. Even when new strikes occurred during repairs, workers persevered, helping keep vulnerable patients and staff safe.
Responding to the Nova Kakhovka Dam Disaster
On June 6, 2023, an explosion destroyed the central section of the Nova Kakhovka Dam, causing catastrophic flooding across the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. More than 75 towns and villages were inundated, displacing thousands and leaving homes, farmland, and livelihoods underwater.
Our teams mobilized quickly, delivering pre-staged emergency supplies, including hygiene kits, food, blankets, and pet necessities. We also supported evacuation teams rescuing people and pets from flooded areas, provided emergency treatment for animals, and delivered clean drinking water to flooded communities.
With local partners, we helped rebuild the Patron Pet Center, supplied three truckloads of medical aid to hospitals, and sent two full containers of shelter supplies. Together, we reached families directly, offering critical support as they began the daunting task of recovery.
Expanding our Efforts to Insulate Ukraine
Amid a record-breaking cold winter and rolling blackouts in Kherson, Greater Good Charities expanded our efforts to insulate Ukrainian homes. Constant strikes have ruined residential buildings, and it’s now estimated that over eight million windows have been shattered across Ukraine. Without consistent power to heat their homes, families like Maryna’s were left exposed to freezing temperatures.
During the strike, Maryna and her children were at home. They were terrified and huddled in a corridor while they waited for the attack to end. When it was all over, Maryna found that their windows had been shattered. They had no protection from the elements.
In partnership with insulate Ukraine, Greater Good Charities has installed thousands of temporary windows to improve the living conditions of families like Maryna’s and individuals living in cities under siege.
For Maryna and her children, the difference is life-changing. Their temporary insulation has now endured months of a difficult winter, holding strong just like the Ukrainian people.
Our Commitment to Ukraine
Greater Good Charities will continue to stand alongside Ukrainian communities as the conflict grinds on and the needs of displaced Ukrainians evolve.
Every meal kit, shatterproof window, queen bee, and veterinary service reflects that commitment—and fulfills our deeper purpose in Ukraine: helping communities hold onto hope.