Every year close to the holiday season, I bury myself in the documents from our teams to compile the report on Gift Baskets Overseas charity initiatives for the outgoing year. It has always been a very satisfying experience. This year, however, the feeling is totally different. For me as a person of Ukrainian descent, 2022 is a year of extreme challenge and hurt. It is with a great pride that I can report that Gift Basket Overseas charity efforts are now focusing on helping Ukrainian volunteers and refugees.
Gift Baskets Overseas Charity Work 2022
When the news broke that Russian military forces had crossed Ukrainian borders and started a full-scale invasion, the global crisis became a personal tragedy for many of us. Gift Baskets Overseas team members are located all over the world. Many of us are from Ukrainian and Russian descent. We have friends, colleagues, and family in the areas being bombed or currently under occupation.
The Gift Baskets Overseas leadership immediately announced that the company embraces peace and openly condemns the Russian military action in Ukraine. We offered help to a number of Ukrainian volunteer organizations. Among those, we gave special consideration to an organization that our colleagues had vouched for, some of them being active members. Donations went to humanitarian funds supporting refugees and internally displaced citizens. Here are some of the causes we contributed to during the year:
- Kyiv School of Economics — started on March 4th, 2022, to assist vulnerable people in Ukraine and help ensure safety. This was the first charity we donated to.
- For all of March 2022, we were donating 10% of all profit from our CIS sales to help civilians.
- Multiple contributions to help deliver food and medicine to the hardest hit areas of Ukraine.
- A donation to support the Synagogue in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk that organizes hot meals for internally displaced people.
- Financial support of volunteers who started a street kitchen for refugees in the city of Dnipro.
- A donation to support volunteers in Nikopol (Dnipro region) assisting families whose dwellings were hit by Russian shelling.
- A donation to support humanitarian aid to Zaporizhzhia.
- Help with transitioning refugees to safety.
In addition, the team worked hard to keep delivery open in as many areas of Ukraine as possible. Liberated in November 2022, the city of Kherson in the south of the country is the most recent addition to the list of available locations.
Thanks to some of our volunteers and GBO’s creative team, we put together 3 sets of humanitarian relief kits, including a Full Pantry Gift Set, a Meal Kit, and other food staples. The recipients of these baskets will get fresh chicken meat, dairy milk, potatoes, onions, eggs, rice, plus so much more. Another kit variation includes fresh pork, potatoes, oatmeal, cheese, bread, and condiments.
You can learn more about these initiatives, track recent updates, and see a current list of locations in Ukraine available for delivery on our dedicated page: Gift Baskets Overseas Stands with Ukraine and for Peace. We also have this page available in Ukrainian. In addition to listing current efforts, we curate a list of charity and volunteer organizations in Ukraine that you can donate to or get in touch with directly.
Gift Basket Overseas Commitment to the Environment
Despite all the challenges, the charity partnership between Gift Baskets Overseas and Rainforest Trust has continued this year. We strongly believe that taking care of nature preservation is especially important now, at the time of global crisis. As you may remember from the previous years, we made monthly donations to the cause of rainforest conservation.
From our side, we embrace action as well. Our corporate account managers work with local suppliers to ensure that our gifts comply with corporate requirements for environmental safety and for minimizing carbon footprint. This means you will be able to select eco-friendly, environmentally safe products with the most sustainable packaging and delivery options.
What to Do Next:
- Find a corporate gifting program most suitable for your business;
- Fill out our gift wizard to receive carefully selected options for your budget;
- Join us on LinkedIn for special promotions and corporate discounts.
Is there anything you want to discuss about our charity and environment commitments? Join the conversation on social media, follow and comment!
Director of Digital Marketing and Strategy for GiftBasketsOverseas passionate about all-things digital, travel, and wellness. Natasha covers some corporate topics and data analytics and research for the GiftBasketsOverseas blog.