My Own Experience As Volunteer
Fundraisers & Sending Parcels
Volunteering in Lviv has been one of the most meaningful parts of my time here. I’ve helped with all kinds of tasks, from packing aid to serving meals, and every day is different. In the coming posts, I’ll share more about my experience as a volunteer looks like, the people I meet, and what it really means to support a city during wartime. Stay tuned for stories from the ground. In this one I will tell more about the organising, packaging and sending parcels. This is one of my main activities since several months.
How It Began
During September ’24 I had the idea to start a fundraiser and buy something for soldiers from it. The year before I read about a woman who collected socks in her hometown in, I believe, the UK. In my memory she collected around 200 socks but I thought I could do better than that or buy better quality socks. So I started my research and found a local army store that had decent quality socks. I contacted them and made some agreement about quantity and price. Then that same evening I made the promotion posts for on social media, added the info where to donate and launched my first fundraiser! I barely slept for a week because I was nervous to deal with other people’s money. So every little update I shared. Initial goal was €1500 but one generous volunteer offered to pay half. I was absolutely shocked in a positive way!
Then just a few days later I went back to the store and made my order, that would arrive a week later. Meanwhile, donations still came in and a local friend attended me that I could buy handwarmers too. You can imagine something warm really makes your day better when you are outside in a freezing trench! So, I went to Epicenter (a hypermarket where they sell everything you can think of) and bought 200 pairs of warmers. From the remaining money, I bought socks at the market. Since they were much cheaper, I could buy one shop owner’s full supply. In the end I had over 400 pairs of socks instead of the intended 225. Great success!
In the meantime I got some units of where to send it to and shipped it to the units. After it was received and I shared the photos they sent me, this fundraiser was over.
Winter Started So The Guys Needed More
After the success of my first sock fundraiser, I didn’t want to sit still. Winter was coming, and I had already heard stories from the front about how brutal the cold could get. That’s when I decided to do another fundraiser. This time not just for socks, but for a full winter gear package: thermoclothing, gloves, handwarmers, and of course, more socks.
I started the same way as before: asking around, doing some quick price checks at the local market and army stores. A few days later, I launched the campaign online. It didn’t take long before donations started coming in again. The response was heartwarming, literally, because I knew how much of a difference these items could make for the guys out there.
Once the money was in, I went to Epicenter and loaded up on warmers. I managed to buy 1100 pairs of them. After that, I hit the local markets in Lviv. I already had some contacts from the first fundraiser, and this time they were even more cooperative. Some shopkeepers gave discounts, others just tossed in a few extra items for free when they heard what it was for. It’s something I won’t forget.
From those stalls I picked up 20 pairs of gloves, 37 thermosets, and over 120 pairs of socks. I was trying to make every euro count and I think I did a pretty good job at that. There’s something satisfying about walking away with plastic bags full of useful items, knowing exactly where they’re going.
Eventually, I packed everything up and arranged shipping to a few units. A few days later I got photos from them holding up the gear with big smiles, some even wearing it already. That moment makes everything worth it.
The Third Was Different
After sending out warm clothes in my second fundraiser, I was ready to focus on a different kind of need: food. Through local contacts, I got in touch with two volunteers from a small organisation called “Сила і Міць” (Strength and Power). It’s just the two of them, working together to prepare homemade MREs (meals ready to eat) for frontline soldiers. Each week they cook, pack, and send out boxes full of nutrition and care.
We set the goal at 90,000 UAH, which is around €2000 or $2150. With that amount, they could buy 10,000 mylar pouches for packaging and two whole pigs to use for meat. Since one pouch costs only 6 UAH, it meant that for the price of a coffee, someone could already help provide over 30 meals.
To support them not only with money but also time, I offered to help out in person. One Saturday, together with an American volunteer who’s also a chef, I went over to their place to assist. We helped process one of the pigs and spent the day cutting meat and packaging meals into boxes. It was a full day of hard but meaningful work. I really got to see the effort behind every single meal they send out.
What impressed me most was how hands-on and committed they are. No big team or office. Just two people who care deeply about helping others, doing everything they can with limited resources.
How It Is Going Now
After the success of my earlier fundraisers, things naturally started to shift. Instead of setting up a new campaign every few months, I now mostly buy and send things on demand. Over time, people started trusting me more. Some had donated before, others had heard about what I’d done. So now I regularly receive donations, both goods and money, without even asking.
Thanks to the earlier fundraisers and the people I met through them, I’ve built up a network that allows me to act faster and more efficiently. I now know the needs of specific units, so when I receive something useful, I often know immediately who to contact. For example, there’s a combat medic I’ve known for a while now. Whenever I get medical supplies, which isn’t often, I check with him first. No need to ask around endlessly.
I’m also in contact with several people who live closer to the frontlines. They often know soldiers who could really use some extra support, so I pack and send them boxes which they then distribute where it’s needed most.
What started as one small fundraiser has grown into something more flexible and ongoing. It’s not a big operation, it’s just me and the people I’ve come to trust. But that’s enough. Each day or week, depending on what I get, I send something out. Sometimes it’s a big box, sometimes just a few items. But I know they make a difference.
The war is still going. The needs haven’t stopped. So I won’t either.
