Ukrainian Refugee of the Last 8 Years Shares Her Story — Born in Donetsk, part of Eastern Ukraine, Anastasia has been a refugee since 2014. “For me the war started 8 years ago.” Anastasia was born in a Russian speaking family. “More than 30 years ago, most people in the eastern part were Russian speaking. That was the main myth that…

Hi, it’s me and what am I doing?! — So what exactly is John doing? Trust me, I’m asking myself that same question as I sit alone at a coffee shop (where else would I be) in Prague, with my oat milk latte that I ordered by pointing at things that looked close to that on the menu. How…

Multiple losses lead to therapy & a poem — The losses kept piling up. A loss of community. A loss of my non-profit work. A loss of a special relationship. And then the loss of my job. Not to mention, the losses created by the pandemic. I’d been wanting to see a counselor for awhile but ‘I didn’t have…

A question I’ve wrestled with for 10+ years becomes all too relevant — Is it OK for White People to Post Photos with African Children to Support Black Lives Matter? My short answer is, no. No, it is not ok. It misses the mark entirely. At the same time, I see others slinging stones at those who do and I don’t think that…

501 Collective in Romania & Ukraine — Sometimes you wonder how significant (or insignificant) the work you are doing is. Is it making a difference? Is it helping? And then you sit across the table from someone who is serving day after day after day and they share words that echo, “you guys keep us going.” When…

501 Collective in Romania — FFF was looking for plots of land within 50 kilometers to build on. Meanwhile, someone just down the road, about a kilometer, offered 10 acres and land and 9 structures for $300,000. …

501 Collective in Ukraine — We arrived in southern Ukraine at a food distribution center. The population there has added around 100,000 refugees from other parts of Ukraine. In turn, this has created a vast lack of food and supplies in the city. While walking the streets prior to the distribution, we bumped into some…

501 Collective in Romania — In April 2022, while 501 Collective was in Suceava, we were taken to a house in a rural area. “I know these people who could really use some help,” we were told. The home had become unlivable. With leaks in the roof, animal infestations, and multiple hazards, the children had…

501 Collective goes to Ukraine — We headed to an undisclosed location in Ukraine along with Fight For Freedom, bringing in food and supplies from Romania. It was the deepest we’d gone into Ukraine as a team and you could tell by the sides of the streets. Barricades were present, cement barracks were on the side…