By Ananya Sharma, Staff Writer
River Hill’s National Honor Society ran a Ukraine Relief Drive beginning on Monday, April 17 and concluding on Friday, April 28. Two donation boxes labeled “Ukrainian Relief Drive” were be placed at the front of the school, where students could donate items such as cereal, baby food, dried fruits, healthy snack bars, pasta, rice, canned meat/fish/vegetables, art supplies, socks, jackets, paper towels, toilet paper, and more. The donations went to an EC parcel service that partners with various charities, such as Voices of Children, Caritas Ukraine, 100% Life, and Starenki.
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started on February 24, 2022, millions of Ukrainians don’t have access to food, water, and other essential supplies. Around 8.5 thousand civilians have been killed, and millions are left internally displaced. The infrastructure in Ukraine has also faced severe damage, so Ukrainians are in need of donations.The RHHS Ukraine Relief Drive sent items that will help the current situation.
The Ukraine Relief Drive was started by River Hill junior Vera Smolyaninova, who has family and friends in Ukraine who are affected by the Russian Ukraine war. She commented, “I just want to do my part and try to do everything I can to help, since the situation there is not ideal.”
According to Vera, she got the idea to start the drive this January. She shared, “I got into contact with Ms. Casper, who’s the sponsor of National Honor Society, and she supported the idea so we created flyers and announcements, and then we handed things out at Hill Fest to get the idea to spread.”
So far, the drive has not received as many donations as they would have liked, and Vera is considering extending the deadline. Vera added, “Any help that is given to the Ukrainian people, they accept full heartedly, so even if there aren’t a lot of supplies, and even if these only reach a small amount of people, that amount of good that we do, it’s still something. And I think it’s still important like anything we do.”
However, many students and teachers have contacted Vera saying that they are planning to donate more supplies. Sophomore Angela Malla commented, “I’m planning to donate canned food later because many people are facing food shortages and it could help.”
The Ukraine Relief Drive is a great way to give River Hill students an opportunity to help the dire situation in Ukraine. It is an impactful way to ease the burden that many Ukrainians are facing every day by giving them necessary supplies, so be sure to donate!