UKRAINIAN refugees pulled together to help those in need in their homeland as they took part in an emergency food packing day in Coventry last weekend.
Around 25 Ukrainians joined a host of volunteers from the Feed the Hungry charity at the Halo Centre in Binley on Saturday, packing 500 parcels containing milk, cereal, coffee, juice, flour, tinned vegetables, pasta and sauce.
The refugees travelled to the event from Coleshill Manor, a former disused office complex in Sutton Coldfield that was redeveloped to rehome the refugees.
For the past eight months, the refugees have been supported and cared for by Coventry’s Mosaic Church.
The packing event was timed to coincide with Ukrainian Christmas celebrations, which do not end until next week.
A similar event was held the evening before with the Mosiac church’s IDY Youth group did their bit to help.
Coleshill Manor Project Manager Neil McElvenny said: “This small contribution is supporting their fellow Ukrainians still living in a war zone which is very challenging as the winters in Ukraine are traditionally very cold experiencing anything from -4C to – 15C+ without heating and lighting.
“As we are all aware, the war in Ukraine is not on a traditional battlefield, it’s in the cities, towns and villages, impacting regular people every day.
“Our Feed the Hungry programme will help 500 families with a week’s worth of essential items and food, however, more than that we feel it’s sending a message of hope and support in a small way.”
Feed the Hungry has delivered over 105 containers or lorries each containing 2,090 tons of aid into towns and villages with internally displaced refugees across Ukraine and Moldova.
Visit feedthehungry.org.uk/ukraine-food-packs/ for more information about how to support these events or donate.
