The Worldwide Foundation of Credit Unions has sent financial aid to refugees of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and plans to follow it with more.
The fundraising arm of the Madison, Wisconsin-based World Council of Credit Unions announced that it has released $50,000 from the Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund to the Podolsk Regional Development Agency, a nongovernmental organization helping to offer humanitarian aid to those Ukrainians currently sheltered in the Vinnytsia region of the country.
"This is the first step in our commitment to put more than half of all initial donations to our Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund toward humanitarian relief efforts,” Mike Reuter, executive director of the foundation, said in a press release Tuesday. “More relief dollars will also soon be sent to assist Ukrainians who have sought refuge in neighboring countries."
In the U.S., the 12 Ukrainian-American credit unions that make up the
“The sense of support and solidarity we feel from around the world gives us strength,” Illia Gorokhovskyi, board chair of COOP Ukraine which represents consumer associations in the country, said in the release. “Despite these circumstances, consumer cooperatives are making efforts to provide the population with the necessities of life — primarily food — and delivering them to where they are most needed."
The disbursement is expected to reach the Podolsk agency no later than March 18. To date, the displacement fund has raised over $306,000.
