Fuel supplier and travel center operator Pilot Company raised more than $1 million for Save the Children’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund.
A portion of the funds were raised by customers who rounded up their purchases at more than 650 participating U.S. travel centers and restaurants. Pilot Company gifted $100,000 to the effort, and some of the company’s team members made contributions as well.
“The devastation in Ukraine is heartbreaking,” Shameek Konar, CEO of Pilot Company, said in a release on Thursday. “We’ve seen how our round-up giving campaigns can quickly make a difference thanks to the support of our team members and guests, and we are again in amazement of their generosity and compassion.”
The money will go through humanitarian organization Save the Children to provide relief for children and families inside Ukraine and in neighboring countries. The organization will provide food, water, hygiene kits, voucher assistance and other humanitarian aid.
Donations to the fund can provide:
- 10 blankets for children displaced from their homes for $50.
- A month’s worth of food for a family in crisis for $100.
- Five families with emergency shelter materials for $175.
According to Save the Children, the Ukraine crisis has displaced more than 6.5 million people, and over 400,000 children are living in the conflict zone. The organization aims to reach 10 million children and their families impacted by the Ukraine crisis.
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“Save the Children is extremely grateful for Pilot Company’s support in response to the devastating crisis in Ukraine,” said Luciana Bonifacio, chief development officer at Save the Children. “The funds raised will enable us to distribute critical emergency supplies and, where possible, establish safe spaces for children, ultimately helping protect impacted children and families in Ukraine and neighboring countries.”
Save the Children is focusing its relief efforts in Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Lithuania. More than 2.5 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland, and more than 670,000 have arrived in Romania, according to a recent Ukraine crisis briefing. The organization has “opened a food pipeline from Romania to western Ukraine, transporting food by truck,” the briefing said.
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