Thanks to all of you, Harmony Fund’s mission for the animals of war is still going strong. We are routinely brining in food which is distributed to animal shelters, homeless animals and to elderly people who need help feeding their pets.
To be honest, many of our partners in Ukraine are very weary and traumatized. For instance, there’s the PIF Shelter in Donetsk which is only about 3 hours from the border with Russia. We first began helping this shelter 6 years ago, and today, the shelter has 800 dogs and 15 cats.
“Victoria, the director of the shelter, took her daughter and mother to a safe place, and so far cannot return, but her soul remains in the shelter,” volunteer Vita Afonina explains. “She now runs the shelter remotely doing administrative work, while her husband in Donetsk does physical work at the shelter. Only a couple of workers remain to take care of all the animals.”
“So many people have died, so many more will die,” Vita continues. “How many people were left without homes. I have now returned to Irpen which is near Kyiv. We don’t have a single street where a house hasn’t been destroyed. High-rise buildings were completely burned down. People have nowhere to go home. This is grief.”
The PIF Shelter has asked Harmony Fund for help with food for the animals. Earlier this month we sent them another $4,500 and we will need to send more again soon. In fact, we’ve been sending truckloads of food to several shelter, and they are incredibly grateful. Prices for kibble have skyrocketed, resulting in many shelters cooking food from less expensive ingredients like rice and noodles.
“I have to ask for help again, because the reserves that we managed to make with your help are already running out,” Vita continues. “Winter is ahead. There has been no water in Donetsk for a long time. Now there is a counteroffensive from Ukraine on all fronts. The fights are getting tougher. For a couple of months now, heavy shelling has been going on throughout the city. We need help.”
