Vladmir Putin predicted, in February 2022, that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would be over in three days with Russia victorious. Alona Matchenko, JD, like many other Ukrainians, had a different prediction.
“Ukrainians are unbelievably resilient,” said Alona, co-founder and current president of Toledo Helps Ukraine, a local 501c3 nonprofit she launched immediately following Russia’s invasion. “For centuries, Ukrainians have endured wars, genocide and Communism,” she said. “Each time, they emerge victorious and even more resilient. They do not give up.”
Ukrainian ingenuity and resourcefulness
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainians were short on weapons, but not on ingenuity. While their husbands, brothers, uncles and fathers rushed to fight, Ukrainian mothers and grandmothers were searching Google to learn how to make Molotov cocktails to defend their homes. Ukrainian citizens took down road signs to confuse Russian troops as they invaded their country. “If you tell Ukrainians something cannot be done, they will show you how it can be done,” said Alona.
With that same tenacity, Alona and her friend and fellow law student at the University of Toledo, Hope Luther, launched Toledo Helps Ukraine in February 2022. Alona, a Ukraine native who came to the United States in 2016, is thoroughly familiar with the country and its culture. She is bi-lingual, speaking English and Ukrainian and she has many contacts in Ukraine who assist with the distribution of lifesaving supplies.
Toledo Helps Ukraine has mobilized volunteers both locally and in Ukraine, organized numerous fundraisers, collected over $350,000 worth of lifesaving supplies to ship to Ukraine and coordinated the documents for 18 Ukrainian refugee families (totalling 67 individuals) to come to the United States while also assisting them with settling in Northwest Ohio.
“We have collected, sorted, packaged and shipped 113 pallets of humanitarian aid to Ukraine since we began,” explains Alona. “Our most recent shipment included donated medical supplies, valued at over $250,000, tarps, tools, building supplies, canned food, personal hygiene items and more. Ukrainians desperately need these items as they are in their third winter of war. The Northwest Ohio community has been so generous
and continues to help, regardless of any controversy, because in Northwest Ohio, every human life matters,” Alona said, adding, “Individuals, foundations, and businesses, large and small, have stepped up to help. We are extremely grateful for their assistance.”
RELATED: Democracy Watch
Resilience in Action: Toledo Helps Ukraine Supports a Nation
Toledo Helps Ukraine has a contact for channeling its support in Ukraine through Rakivska Evangelical Church in Kremenchuk and Ukrainian volunteer Vlad Chernyayev. Vlad, a childhood friend of Alona’s, transports and delivers donations sent from the Toledo agency directly, through weekly transports into the front lines of the war.
“Russia has damaged or destroyed over 1.5 million Ukrainian homes,” said Alona. “That’s equivalent to one in every four Ohio homes being damaged or destroyed. Also, Russia has destroyed over 1,300 schools and attacked and damaged over 1,600 medical facilities, including maternity hospitals. In 2024, three times as many Ukrainians have died as were born.”
“One of the goals of Toledo Helps Ukraine is to keep people informed about the ongoing atrocities and impact of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine,” said Alona. “After 1,000 days of war, people can become complacent or immune to the news. The reality is Ukrainians live
in fear for their lives, and the lives of their children and grandchildren, every day. For nearly three years now, they’ve been running to bomb shelters when air raid sirens sound and missiles strike. Many do not have electricity because Russia has attacked their power grids.”
“More than 40% of the Ukrainian population (over 14.5 million Ukrainians) currently need some form of humanitarian assistance. There are over 800,000 children who live along the front lines of the war who need emergency assistance. Toledo Helps Ukraine will continue its humanitarian work until Ukraine reaches what it has always wanted, a lasting peace.”
To volunteer or donate visit 4ua.org.
