I have just returned to the US after my last mission to Ukraine
It began November 1st 2025 and lasted until April 16th 2026. Five and one half months of food distribution and evacuations from the frontline areas of the war in Ukraine. Within that time I’ve lost colleagues to Russian drone attacks, operated in areas of conflict, and spent one of the coldest winters I’ve ever experienced.
The food distribution is just that. Donated animal food and other supplies are donated and collected by my colleague, Rebecca, in the UK. Rebecca palletizes the food, arranges the shipping, collects funding for transport and sends it to Boryspil, Ukraine.
This is the location of our warehouse on the east side of Kyiv. From there we load our van and distribute the food to individuals, shelters, and soldiers. We have distributed over 30 tons of food during this time. Some delivered by mail service most delivered by myself.
The brutal winter was hard on everyone and everything. The van had a rough winter. Three flat tires on one of the coldest days of the winter. All due to potholes that open up to swallow your vehicle. Bending wheels, flattening tires. The extreme cold is hard on all the vehicles components. From starter motors and brakes freezing up to unforgiving icy roads. All while a war is raging.
The evacuations took place mostly in two locations. The Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. I spent quite a bit of time evacuating animals and bringing supplies to the city of Dobropillya. It is a two hour drive from Kramatorsk. The distance isn’t far but because of drone danger and road conditions it is twice as long to travel there than normal. Driving beneath drone netting from one city to another. Thousands of kilometers of roads are like this. The netting doesn’t always save a vehicle from a drone strike. However, it is better than nothing at all and provides a chance of safety. During the winter ice would buildup on the top nets. The weight would cause a collapse of the netting and poles. The road would become blocked with large trucks caught in the netting, poles buckled and laying across the roadway. All the while the war rages on.
56 dogs, 43 cats, 60 fowl, 14 goats, 2 owls, and 1 cow. That’s the number of animals transported during this time period. Some from the frontlines to shelters, some from shelters to new homes. Sometimes the lucky ones are even traveling beyond the border of Ukraine to homes away from war. Each day brings a new challenge as well as the rewards.
That’s it for now. I’ll elaborate on a few of the missions soon.
