Our Holiday Stocking Campaign to Support Families in Ukraine

As a humanitarian non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating landmines and cultivating sustainable peace through agriculture, we are launching a Holiday Stocking campaign to support families in Ukraine affected by the ongoing conflict in the region.

This Holiday Stocking campaign endeavors to bring warmth to Ukraine and raise global awareness for a country which is now 30% contaminated by landmines/UXO since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. These traditional holiday stockings represent the footsteps of children lost to the grave impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war in Ukraine and worldwide.

The campaign is inspired by the stories of Natalia and Yana Stepanenko, a mother and daughter who were injured by a targeted missile attack at a train station in their native Ukraine on April 8, 2022. Natalia lost her leg in the explosion, while Yana, who was 11 years old at the time, lost both of her legs.

On December 14, Roots of Peace CEO Heidi Kuhn visited Natalia and Yana in their adopted home of San Diego, presenting Yana with a stocking as she prepares to celebrate her first Christmas in California. Kuhn also presented a stocking to Ivan Chaban, a 16-year-old Ukrainian refugee who is undergoing rehabilitation for injuries sustained during a Russian tank offensive. These meetings were facilitated by the San Francisco Consul General of Ukraine, Dmytro Kushneruk.

“These brave Ukrainian children have tragically lost their legs due to the ravages of war– and holiday stockings provide a symbol of that loss,” said Heidi. “This holiday season, we want to highlight the need to protect innocent children from the dangers of landmines and explosive remnants of war in Ukraine and around the world.”

The Holiday Stocking campaign is a partnership between Roots of Peace and House of Ukraine. The goal is to raise global awareness and support for efforts to eradicate landmines and other explosive remnants of war in Ukraine and worldwide.  The stockings will be filled with Warm Socks and Energy Bars– the items specifically requested by the California’s house of Ukraine– to be sent to families in Ukraine who are facing the harsh winter conditions.

The campaign will run through January 6, 2023.

Donations of stockings filled with Warm Socks and Energy Bars can be sent to Roots of Peace Headquarters: 4000 Civic Center Drive, Suite 330, San Rafael, California.

Please consider making a donation here.