Grand Circle Foundation with your support funded $100,000 for the purchase and delivery of 8,500 water filters to Ukraine. To date, 5,000 filters were delivered to Kyiv, 1500 to Lutsk, and 500 to the eastern battle front to be distributed in bomb shelters.

“There is nothing so likely to produce peace, as to be well prepared to meet the enemy.”
~ George Washington

You can help us provide direct support to Ukrainian refugees by donating here.

Two months ago, on February 24th, the unthinkable happened – Russia began an unprovoked attack on Ukraine that has led to the needless deaths of thousands and the complete destruction of towns and livelihoods. The nightly news is difficult to watch, but we must continue to watch and not turn away from those whose lives have been torn apart.

According to the BBC, more than 10 million people have left their homes – 6.5 million relocating to different towns and cities in Ukraine, and 4.3 million people have left Ukraine for the safety of other countries.

While we cannot assist those who remain in Ukraine with housing, we are providing support for food and access to clean water. For those who have traveled to Romania and Poland, which has seen the largest influx of refugees, we continue to provide basic necessities, food and short and long-term housing.

We are committed to providing support for the foreseeable future, with the goal to help women and children adjust to their new communities, learn the local language and begin to rebuild their lives by finding employment and attending school.

Kadir in Poland, and Stefan in Romania continue to oversee how every dollar is spent and work tirelessly to ensure the funds are used wisely – to help these women and children return to some type of a “new normal” with their dignity intact.

Your continued support makes this possible. Thank you for your continued support, and your trust in Grand Circle Foundation.

Peace and love,

Harriet R. Lewis, Vice Chairman    Alan E. Lewis, Chairman

Lena Grochowska Foundation (LGF), working with Arche Hotels, Poland

Our goal is to provide long term housing with private bedrooms and bathrooms for as many people as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured: Kadir and Alexandra in Grenadierów; a mom in Ożarów.

We have committed $100,000 each to renovate 8 properties to provide housing for up to 2,000 people. Below is a brief update on each location.

Kadir will be visiting the properties the week of April 29 and we will share more photos and another update after his visit.

Grenadierów: Complete and currently housing 303 people, including 15 year old Alexandra (pictured above with Kadir), from Kropywynski with her 3 siblings and her mother. Her father stayed in Ukraine to fight.
Ożarów: First 2 floors are ready, housing 81 people. 3rd and 4th floor will be ready in May. In total we will have housing for 160.
Konstancin: We currently have housing for 83 people on the ground floor, 1st and 2nd floors. Renovations on the 3rd and 4th floors are in progress, and will be completed by the end of the week to provide housing for 250 people.
Lublin: On schedule to be completed by the end of April, with housing for 180 people.
Sanniki: Renovations have begun and by the beginning of May will be ready to accomadate 160 people.
Siedlce: By the end of April, capacity will be 200 people, to increase to 450 by mid-May.
Powsińska: By end of May should be ready to house 270 people.
Janowa Podlaski: Currently housing 96 children from foster families, with another scheduled to 100 to arrive by mid May.

When all the property conversions are completed, housing will be provided for 1,969 people.

Your continued support will allow us to fund the renovations at additional properties. You can help by donating here.

Dnipro, Ukraine
Dnipro bridges eastern and western Ukraine with multiple crossings over the Dnieper River. For Ukraine, Dnipro’s central location is critical. The city is roughly equidistant from most of the war’s major battlegrounds — Donetsk, Mariupol, Kherson and Kharkiv are all within 200 miles — making the city an important logistical hub for supplies and medical care. This city has become a logistical hub for humanitarian aid and a reception point for people fleeing the war in the Donbas and other parts of the country.

Grand Circle Foundation and the Alnoba Lewis family Foundation funded $150,000 to help provide food and basic necessities to the extended Dnipro community, and has committed an additional $200,000 to support the needs of more than 300,000 displaced people in this critical region.

Zelig, who is leading the efforts on the ground in Dnipro shared there are currently 2,200 displaced people of all religions, sheltered at the Jewish community center who are receiving hot meals daily.

Food packages are being distributed to 700 families daily. Community volunteers prepare food packages, which cost about $25 per package and include cereals and pasta, eggs, flour and yeast, tea, fresh fruits and vegetables, sunflower oil and more.

The Dnipro Jewish community delivered more than 50,000 packages of matzo to Jewish families across Ukraine for Passover. The matzo is locally sourced from the community’s matzo bakery, which continues to function even as the city has been a target for Russian rockets.

Your continued support will allow us to fund additional meals and food packages to Dnipro. You can help by donating here.

Romania: An Easter feast for all

Easter is celebrated in Romania, Poland and Ukraine today – Sunday, April 24.

At Casa Crenguteir, a hostel we are supporting in Otopeni, a traditional meat loaf with eggs in the center, Drob de Miel, will be served along with all the traditional fixings, including chocolates for the 30 moms and kids now living there.

 

Basic necessities – food, housing and the ability to communicate with others – together we are helping to bring these to these women and their children who have lost so much. But sometimes it nice to provide a little more too.

For the foreseeable future, our plan is to send a weekly update to keep our donors informed and to be as transparent as possible about how funds are being used. Thank you for your support and trust.

Thank you for your generous support of Grand Circle Foundation, and the trust you place in our team to ensure your donation is used as intended.

Because all administration costs are funded by the Alnoba Lewis Family Foundation, 100% of all donations are tax deductible and returned to our partner sites.

If you made a donation to support a specific project and would like an update on how the funds were used, please feel free to contact us at: [email protected], or call 1‑800‑859‑0852.