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Rachael Ray Visits Ukraine with UCCA President Andriy Futey

During their humanitarian mission, UCCA delivered another much-needed #SupportUkraine shipment of Individual First Aid Kits (IFAK’s) directly to Ukraine which will be marshaled directly to the front lines, wounded children receiving treatment in Lviv’s hospitals were treated with personal visits of goodwill and support, and Rachael provided care packages to bring a little cheer to the internally displaced children and orphans residing in Lviv from the war-torn regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and the city of Mariupol. Andriy and Rachael also met with Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi in a show of American support for Lviv and the Ukrainian nation! Слава Україні!

UCCA’s #SupportUkraine Fund

Russia’s most recent war crimes against Ukraine have created the largest humanitarian crisis seen in Europe since WWII, resulting in over 6 million Ukrainians fleeing to the safety of other countries, and an additional 8 million internally displaced within Ukraine.

Throughout 2022, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA.org), the largest umbrella organization representing the interests of nearly 2 million Ukrainian Americans, has been addressing these humanitarian challenges with direct aid delivered to Ukraine even before this most recent invasion.

Through your generous contributions, we have raised over $4 million dollars in cash and in-kind contributions, with over $3.5 million dollars’ worth of assistance already having been delivered or deployed! Highlights include:

• Front line assistance in Kharkiv: UCCA has ordered and delivered 450 pieces of body armor, 150 helmets, and 15 high-end night vision pieces: in total, approximately $500,000 worth of vital supplies needed to protect Ukraine's defenders have been delivered through this fund. More assistance including a vehicle and other necessary items are on their way.

• Territorial Defense: We supplied various territorial defense units with uniforms, communications equipment, night vision glasses and medical supplies. UCCA is currently gathering thousands of vests and helmets from our donors and US law enforcement agencies to ship to the front lines: https://youtu.be/UwNxzSOrAQE + https://youtu.be/ps8WrRGDZVM

• IFAKS: in partnership with KOACORE, Ukraine Friends and Operation White Stork, UCCA is supporting the production and distribution of vital lifesaving IFAKs (military-grade individual first aid kits). Over $400,000 of your donations to UCCA has been allocated to assembling these IFAKs domestically, ship them to our warehouse in Poland and then delivered directly to the front lines of Ukraine. https://youtu.be/mWjI1MSjIq4 + https://youtube.com/shorts/RQ153dmgOrE + https://youtu.be/GJFIUix3ue8

• Evacuation of Ukrainians: On the return trip from the combat zones, Operation White Stork is evacuating Ukrainians escaping the war to Airbnb’s in Krakow, Poland (over 11,000 to date). https://nbcnews.to/3N5NBXh

• Feeding Ukrainians: UCCA’s humanitarian efforts are also providing hundreds of free meals daily to the IDPs, wounded warriors as well as to several territorial defense units in Lviv, Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Poltava. Working with our partner in Poland, the Ukrainian National Home, UCCA is supporting a program that provides food,

• Medicines: in partnership with the “AICM-Ukraine” Foundation (Association Internationale de Cooperation Medicine), UCCA has stocked several warehouses in Ukraine with medical and pharmaceutical supplies. The initial stockpiles have already been depleted, but warehouses continue to be resupplied so that humanitarian aid can be delivered to those in urgent need.

Unfortunately, our work is far from done. Help us make a direct impact to save Ukraine. Please continue your generous donations.

Let’s help Ukraine win this war!

There are an estimated 75,000 Ukrainian nationals currently living in the United States. In light of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, it is too dangerous for these Ukrainian nationals to return to the country if and when their U.S. immigration status lapses. To help them, the Biden Administration has designated Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a form of immigration relief that provides the right to live and work in the United States for a temporary period.

On April 19, 2022, the registration process to obtain an 18-month designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainian nationals in the United States began.

To be eligible, individuals must demonstrate their continuous residence in the United States since April 11, 2022, and continuous physical presence in the United States since the designation date in the Federal Register notice on April 19, 2022.

If you are a Ukrainian national in the United States who would like help completing an application for Temporary Protected Status, we encourage you to reach out to the Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) Pro Bono Project which has been set up to provide legal assistance.