East Cambridge Savings donates to humanitarian relief orgs. for Ukraine

Cambridge, MA East Cambridge Savings Bank made donations to two organizations providing vital services to people displaced by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Doctors Without Borders in the United States and World Central Kitchen each received a donation from the bank. Both organizations are on the ground in Ukraine and Eastern Europe providing critical resources to the millions of people who have been displaced from their homes due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In response to the conflict in Ukraine, Doctors Without Borders has distributed 250 tons of medical supplies in the country and facilitated a medical train, evacuating the injured and sick to safety while providing access to high-quality medical care. The organization is also providing medical care for Ukrainian refugees who have been forced to flee their homes.

World Central Kitchen (WCK) was founded by world-renowned chef and restaurateur José Andrés in 2010 to provide food and meals in Haiti after a devastating earthquake struck the country. Since then, the organization has grown to support people impacted by conflict and natural disasters, providing them with high-quality, freshly made meals. WCK has been on the frontlines of virtually all recent major natural disasters and humanitarian crises including the volcano in Tonga, Afghan refugee crisis, and communities in the US in need of food support at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent months, WCK has provided hot, fresh meals to displaced Ukrainians and distributed thousands of meals inside Ukraine, often immediately after the retreat of Russian forces.

Additionally, Bank employees and Board members are individually supporting Sunflower for Peace, a Boston based 501(c)3 organization founded in 2014 to support Ukrainian orphans and displaced persons. Donations made by employees are matched by the Bank. Sunflower for Peace was identified by the Bank’s Employee Activities Committee as a worthy local organization to support.

“All of us have been watching with sadness and horror at what’s happening in Ukraine. As an organization, we want to support groups that are literally on the frontlines trying to help those impacted by this conflict,” said Gilda M. Nogueira, the Bank’s president and chief executive officer. “While our charitable and corporate giving usually focuses on local needs, times like this require all of us – as businesses and individuals – to think of ways we can help the people of Ukraine. Doctors Without Borders, World Central Kitchen, and Sunflower for Peace are meeting the critical and basic needs of people whose lives have been upended. These organizations are truly making a difference where it is so desperately needed.”