By Charlsy Panzino

Though news of the war in Ukraine has faded from the front page, organizations and volunteers are still trying to help locals with basic needs and resources.

One of these organizations, Volunteers for Ukraine — which began shortly after Russia invaded the country in February 2022 — helps supply Ukrainians with resources and aid while matching volunteers to areas where they’re most needed.

About 24 hours after the invasion began, Army veteran and MOAA member David Ribardo brainstormed with people he had met on a Reddit forum about how to help. He was inspired after watching veterans volunteer to visit Afghanistan during the U.S. drawdown and assist with evacuations and humanitarian aid there.

“Quite a few people who I worked with in Afghanistan were really struggling during that time and were helped by some of these folks,” said Ribardo, Volunteers for Ukraine chairman. “So when the invasion of Ukraine kicked off, I was very much moved by their example.”

The group from Reddit reached out to bigger organizations, but none had programs for Ukraine since the conflict had just started and was a high-risk, dynamic situation.

“So a lot of people just said … ‘Let’s go over there and just see what we can do,’” he said. “So you had this wide variety of characters who had met up through the Internet, and everybody wanted to chip in.”

Volunteers for Ukraine's work includes providing up-armored transport vehicles. (Courtesy photo)

Volunteers for Ukraine was born and received donations after creating a website and getting high-profile media coverage. The team spent about six weeks on the ground in Ukraine setting up a volunteer assistance program that paired people with combat medic experience and tactical skills with areas in Ukraine that needed those skills.

Major cities were receiving big chunks of aid, Ribardo said, but there were lots of small villages in the middle of nowhere that were also in harm’s way.

“That’s where we began to really focus our efforts,” he said, adding that Volunteers for Ukraine helps provide food, water, and other sustainment items to those areas.

[RELATED: MOAA Member Assisting With Training, Growing EOD Teams in Ukraine]

Army veteran and Volunteers for Ukraine CEO Dane Miller had been working with another organization helping those in the country before getting involved with Volunteers for Ukraine through mutual friends and connections.

Miller, who moved to Poland after the invasion and visits Ukraine every month, was also contracted to work with insurance companies in Ukraine that help with relocation and resettlement.

Smaller groups have been filling the holes that larger non-governmental organizations and the government itself could not fill, he said.

In addition to supplying resources to those on the ground and helping volunteers get to where they’re needed, Volunteers for Ukraine also sponsors Ukrainian soldiers who need medical treatment, including prosthetics.

“I think it’s extremely valuable and sobering to be able to reach out and touch the reality … and not just read about it or get knowledge secondhand,” Miller said. “There’s missile strikes, and there’s still drones that are attempting to destroy buildings and hurt people. There are sirens almost every night, and that’s a sobering reminder that the war is still here.”

Many organizations capitalized on public sentiment at the beginning of the war, but now that it’s shifted into the back of people’s minds, Volunteers for Ukraine has to be creative with how it uses its funding, Miller said.

[RELATED: Member’s Nonprofit Aiding Ukrainian Refugees, Troops]

“Even with the efforts that have popped up, some of these holes haven’t been filled yet or they’re just not going to be,” he said. “People underestimate just how large this war is.”

Anyone can reach out to Volunteers for Ukraine to learn more about the war and how they can help, whether it’s donating money or even airline miles and hotel points for volunteers who want to help in person.

Volunteers for Ukraine has also partnered with the Kaplan Public Service Foundation to help support U.S. veterans and displaced Ukrainians.

“[The organization] is extremely focused on true impact and doing so responsibly,” said David Kaplan, co-founder of the foundation, president of Kaplan Realty Group, and a member of The MOAA Foundation’s board of directors. “It’s been a pleasure to work with Dane and his … team.”

Charlsy Panzino is a writer based in Idaho.