Keeping Ukraine's defenders well-fed and healthy

The reason I’m able to be in Ukraine — volunteering with organizations to help out where I can, exploring one of the most beautiful cities in the world, catching up with friends old and new, and keeping up with my freelance work while abroad — is thanks to Ukraine’s defenders.

Because of them, life is able to go on relatively “normally” in Kyiv. Air raid sirens continue to go off every day, curfew continues to exist, requiring people to be home at midnight, and the war is constantly on people’s minds, but thanks to the country’s defenders, people can live their lives as best they can.

Other areas of Ukraine, like to the east, look a lot — a lot — different than Kyiv, not because defenders aren’t hard at work but because russia constantly focuses its attacks there.

Enough cannot be said about the strength, bravery, determination, and skill of Ukraine’s defenders.

Murashky KitcheN in Kyiv

I’m in Kyiv to volunteer with Ukrainian Patriot, but when we’ve had a couple days off in a row, I’ve spent time with another nonprofit, Murashky. (One of my favourite things about Ukrainian Patriot, and many other organizations here, is the community feel and connection to other organizations, encouraging their volunteers to help out with others when they can. The crossover among organizations, with everyone’s goal to keep Ukrainians healthy and safe, is beautiful to see.)

Murashky, a group of incredibly hardworking volunteers, prepares dehydrated meals for defenders, meals that are ready to eat or just need hot water added. Borsch, oatmeal, dried fruit, nuts, galletas are a few of the delicious and nutritious items they prepare.

My first day at Murashky, I was immediately taken under the wing of one of the volunteers, Pani Hannia, who later said I was like family, since our families are from similar areas in Ukraine and she knows people in Winnipeg. While she doesn’t speak English, and I don’t speak much Ukrainian, she patiently taught me the ways of the kitchen, showing me through her actions and telling me through her Ukrainian that she simplified to help me understand.

There were a couple other international volunteers at the kitchen when I was there who were staying in Kyiv for a few weeks to help out with Murashky, otherwise everyone in the kitchen were Kyiv locals. Some of the volunteers go there every single day, knowing the importance of caring for Ukraine’s defenders, not just through food but through good food that can bring them comfort in such dark times.

Murashky, which translates to ants, is a fitting name, since everyone is constantly working on their individual task to help the greater goal. When Pani Hannia needed something from another area of the kitchen, she didn’t walk — she jogged, her arms moving forward and back as her hips swayed side to side. After a few hours of work, we’d take a break, enjoying coffee and tea and baked goods brought in by the kitchen volunteers. And while Pani Hannia encouraged us to take as long as we needed, she would quickly refuel so she could get back to work — she’d add cold water to her freshly made hot coffee so she could finish it faster.

While there, I helped empty then refill the dehydrators, washing food, cutting food, filling the trays. I helped pack up some of the breakfasts — oats and dried fruit and nuts — and the galletas (slightly sweet crackers) and desserts (a variety of dried fruit and nuts). Just when you thought you were getting to the end of packing the galletas or were finished with shredding mushrooms, a box or bucket full of hundreds more would appear.

With so much food to prepare, with so many tasks to get done, it really was amazing to see how organized Murashky is. Some people would leave after half a day once finishing up some tasks and more people would trickle in to get started on the next ones. Being in the kitchen, I witnessed efficiency at its finest.

I’m going to donate the next proceeds from Planted to Murashky. This will be my final donation through Planted sales, simply because I’m on my last batch of books, so thank you!

I’m not someone who needs to see to believe the good work being done — there are many, many amazing organizations I trust and know are doing incredible work, like the other places I’ve donated so far that I haven’t been directly involved with, among countless others. So I didn’t feel like I had to “check in” on Murashky before donating to them — it was more so I fell in love with their work and knew I wanted to help in any way I can, even when I’m no longer in Kyiv. And I’m grateful for the support through Planted that allows me to do this.

You can stay up to date with Murashky on Instagram and Facebook.

Where to Purchase Planted

To support Murashky’s work by purchasing Planted, fill out this form.

Once you send me the requested information, I’ll email you the total, and you can send me an e-transfer.

The book is $25 with free Winnipeg pickup/delivery. Shipping to Canada is $4 per book, and shipping to the U.S. is $6 per book (for shipping outside Canada and the U.S., send me an email, and I’ll find out the cost — it’s usually around $12 per book). If you’re outside Canada, you can pay by credit card here.

The ebook is also available for your Kobo or Kindle.

Thank you for your support. Slava Ukraini! Heroyam slava! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!