Alameda County — Groups across the country have mobilized to send food, medication and money to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion, and the Tri-Valley is part of the movement. Several organizations in the area are stepping up efforts to offer relief to citizens in need, while the Livermore City Council is calling on its sister city in Russia to take a position opposing the invasion.
Pleasanton-based Kids Against Hunger (KAH) Bay Area is hosting frequent packing events for volunteers to come pack KAH’s trademarked, high-nutrition meals and send them to the Ukraine-Poland border. The group held a large packing event on Wednesday, March 9, and packed 110,592 meals with 300 volunteers. Executive Director and founder Sherri Leal said her goal was to hold several more events and send 150,000 meals to refugees in the coming week.
“Many hands make light work, and it’s really true here,” said Leal. “We already sent 199,000 meals last week. We are 100% nonprofit, no employees. We are just a bunch of volunteers who want to feed a bunch of people. We get so much out of it, because we love doing it.”
Volunteers participating in the event for Ukraine said the atmosphere in KAH’s warehouse was positive and energetic, with most staying past their time to meet the day’s goal of 100,000 meals.
Leal said the meals will be picked up by Convoy of Hope – a nonprofit, humanitarian organization – this week and flown to Eastern Europe, where they will immediately be distributed and consumed. She said the meals are appropriate for people of all ages and offer as much protein as a three-ounce steak in a one-cup serving. They are vegan, gluten free and easy to digest, even for those suffering from malnutrition.
Diane Drain and her husband, Paul, are frequent KAH volunteers and have sampled the meals. “It’s like Rice-a-Roni, but not as dry,” she added. “The amount of nutrition is so good. The soy provides as much protein as three ounces of steak, and there’s 21 vitamins in that vitamin powder, so it’s a very nutritious meal for everyone, especially children.”
Leal founded KAH Bay Area in 2010 after an earthquake devastated Haiti; she wanted to find a way to send food to the island. In the first year, she and her fellow volunteers packed 150,000 meals, and within three years, the group was up to 1.5 million meals a year. She said her organization still sends meals to Haiti, as well as other international locations in need after a natural disaster. They also send meals to local Bay Area food banks, and natural disasters in the United States.
KAH Bay Area is looking for more volunteers. The warehouse is located at 1258 Quarry Lane, Suite H, in Pleasanton. For more information, or to volunteer or donate, visit kahbayarea.org or email sherri@kahbayarea.org.
The Livermore Lions Club has always been focused on helping its community, but this year is making an exception for one of its fundraisers: money raised by the second annual Cioppino Takeout will go to Ukraine.
“I definitely felt like the entire Livermore club was 100% supportive of that idea,” said Lions Club member Anne Giancola. “I can speak for many of us who are very concerned about what’s happening in Ukraine and understand the complexity of what’s going on, so everyone is behind getting some funding over there to help civilians.”
The Cioppino Takeout began last year when COVID-19 restrictions prevented the Lions Club from hosting its annual crab feed. The group switched gears and put together the takeout, raising $3,000 for the local community. This year, they hope to spread the word and raise even more.
One order includes a 64-ounce tub of cioppino and a bread round, enough to feed four people, for $70. To order, call 805-405-8742. Credit card, check and Venmo payments will be accepted ahead of time. Payment must be received to complete the order. Orders will be accepted through April 22. Pick up will be Saturday, April 30, from 1 to 4 p.m., at the Singing Winemaker, 5143 Tesla Rd., in Livermore.
Livermore resident Monika Binkney has started a GoFundMe campaign to purchase medical supplies for "the soldiers and civilians who are fighting for Ukraine’s freedom" against Russian aggression.
Binkney, who has lived in Livermore with her family for 12 years, comes from Poland, where her Ukrainian grandparents moved after World War II.
“A group of my friends from my hometown (of) Gliwice, Poland, are tirelessly traveling back and forth to the Ukrainian border every day to pick up refugees and deliver medical, first aid, and tactical supplies to those on the front line,” Binkney said. “I was so moved by the spirit of unity, and I wanted to help these humanitarian efforts even in the smallest way.”
To donate, visit gofund.me/470d98d7. Medical supplies for donation can also be purchased directly at tinyurl.com/2p8pfyj6.
The Livermore City Council unanimously agreed this week to send a letter to its Russian sister city, Snezhinsk, urging its leaders to resist participating in the Ukrainian invasion.
The decision followed recent correspondence sent to Livermore Mayor Bob Woerner from the Consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco.
“As a mayor of Livermore, you have the power to address your counterparts in Russia with a firm demand for them to start acting now in resisting the criminal regime of the Kremlin before it’s too late,” read the March 4 letter signed by Consul General Dmytro Kushneruk. “They may stop Russian conscripts of their city from being sent to Ukraine, and they may mobilize their communities to go on streets. We call on you to contact them as soon as possible and require immediate action, unless they wish for Livermore to sever its ties with Snezhinsk, Russia, as well as with the rest of the civilized world.”
The majority of speakers on the subject supported submitting the letter.
"Our sister city in Russia was established with the intent of building peace, hope and exchange of cultural ideas in the spirit of growing strong bonds between the two cities,” said Livermore resident Donna Cabanne. “Scientists (in Snezhinsk) and in Livermore worked together to find a new element, Livermorium, and the Russians graciously allowed the element to be named after our city. The Russian people have much in the way to offer: art, literature, music, dance, etc. But what is currently happening in Ukraine is an atrocity we cannot ignore. Cities across the state have written letters in the hopes that our request for a cease fire will resonate and lead to the end of suffering of innocent women and children. We too can do our part.”
Councilmember Trish Munro shared that her grandfather emigrated from Ukraine, making the current events feel personal to her and her family.
“The connection from city to city, I think, is powerful,” she continued. “I am really pleased to see that this is a way that we can talk city to city, person to person, and perhaps make for a change. And this is what those relationships are for.”
A copy of the letter sent to Snezhinsk leaders is expected to be available on the city website. The online version of this story will be updated with a direct link to the letter, once it’s made public.
Aly Brown contributed to this story.