Working together with its network of FMCG suppliers and Malteser International, SPAR International has continued to support the delivery of vital food and medical aid to Ukraine as the humanitarian crisis in the country grows.

The supplies and aid are being transported as part of an unprecedented cross-border effort linking four key SPAR aid points from the Netherlands to Ukraine. Facilitated and supported by SPAR’s international distribution network, the supplies originate in West and Central Europe. They supplies are then transported to SPAR’s dedicated emergency docking point on the Polish-Ukrainian border before being transferred to Rivne in Western Ukraine. By March 18, 140 tonnes of vital aid were delivered to SPAR Ukraine. The aid was distributed to those in need throughout the country, including 30 tonnes to the city of Kharkiv. A further 80 tonnes of aid will be delivered in the coming week.

In addition to direct action, SPAR International is collaborating with World Central Kitchen, who are serving hot meals to families in Ukraine across more than 12 cities. Further large-scale donations by individual SPAR country organisations have been made to emergency relief funds, including UNICEF and the Red Cross, and these donations are ongoing.

For its part, in addition to keeping open the vital supply chain for food and aid across the country, SPAR Ukraine this week prepared food parcels for the Department of Social Services at the Lutsk City Administration. The refugee centre and shelter in Lutsk (IBC City) has also received food to support the 150 people who are using the shelter daily. Further food parcels have been distributed among the Haisyn district in the Vinnytsia region. For residents of the Volyn region and cities in the east of the country, food parcels have been prepared and delivered.

In the coming week, the Order of Malta in Lviv will receive food and baby hygiene products as part of the planned deliveries. Special children’s parcels will be prepared to meet the needs of those children staying in the refugee centre in Lutsk. These vital supplies will go towards meeting the urgent needs of thousands of Ukrainians requiring food and medical care as a result of severely disrupted supply chains.

As an international organisation, SPAR stands in solidarity with our Ukrainian  colleagues and our efforts are focused on the provision of essential support and aid to the innocent citizens of Ukraine in the face of this worsening humanitarian crisis.