Over the last few weeks, KidCare International volunteers and members have been working to support Ukrainian citizens and children affected by the devastating war with Russia.

The globally recognized nonprofit, founded in 1991 by Larry Kapchinsky, has been gathering nonperishable food, medical and hygiene essentials, new clothing, shoes and bedding for refugees.

“It all has to be new, there can be nothing used,” Kapchinsky stressed. “The countries will not receive anything that is used.”

On Wednesday, two cargo ships, each capable of carrying 4,400 lbs., embarked on their 6,000-mile journey.

The containers are headed for two locations dense with refugees, the Stephanis Group in Poland and another similar outreach program in Romania according to Kapchinsky.

“Right now, the main thing is just the immediate relief for kids that are freezing to death,” Kapchinsky said.

It will take about four weeks for the containers to reach their intended destinations.

Shipping necessary supplies overseas to areas in need or affected by immediate disaster has been one of KidCare International’s most common responses over the last few years.

“We just have a tracked record of doing it,” Kapchinsky said. “The Kosovo War we were there. For the Tsunami that hit Sri Lanka we sent containers of relief there. For the earthquake in Haiti we sent … several containers worth of relief to Haiti.

“It’s just a part of who we are and what we do,” Kapchinsky added.

Ocean and ground freight costs are approximately $10,000 for each 40-foot container. In all of their years of shipping containers, about two decades worth, the group is 45-for-45.

“We’ve never lost one [shipment], which is quite a feat,” Kapchinsky said.

Kapchinsky added that KidCare is already looking ahead toward helping Ukrainian rebuild following the war. Seeing first-hand what the Russians did to Chechnya and “how they totally leveled Bosnia” decades ago, Kapchinsky believes Ukrainians won’t have homes to go back to once this current conflict resolves.

“When they go back to recovery and rebuild their homes, I mean they’re going to have absolutely nothing,” Kapchinsky said. “So later on we’re going to be needing furniture to totally rebuild homes for millions of people.”

To learn more about what the nonprofit has done to support Ukrainians, including their ground work in Ukraine and how they bought pallets of food at grocery stores, visit https://www.kidcare.org. Links to the nonprofit’s Facebook/Meta page are embedded as well.

KidCare Int. is based in Claremont, sharing an address with Granite Creek Community Church, 1580 N. Claremont Blvd. Ste 202. For more information to learn how to donate, visit kidcare.org.