Springbrook Man Returns From Ukraine Farm With A Full Belly A Grateful Heart And Plans To Return
/Springbrook’s David Black has returned from a three weeks of helping at a Ukrainian farm and is already planning his return.
David, Ivanka and her family. Photo courtesy of David Black.
When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, Black couldn’t sit back and watch.
His first plan of action was to travel to Poland and help to to transport those fleeing Ukraine away from the Poland/Ukraine border.
He and another man stayed for three weeks, drove thousands of kilometers around Europe and delivered many individuals and families to a safe place. When Black returned to Canada he knew he had to go back to help, but decided after too many hours in a vehicle he needed a different approach.
Through connections he made on his first mission, he was put in contact with a farm in need of help in the rural town of Polonne, Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Government has exempted farmers from military duty, though Black points out that many are still volunteering, leaving many farms without adequate help.
Ivanka and her brother Sasha. Photo by David Black.
Black’s journey began on June 9, when he took off from Toronto with a suitcase of medical supplies he planned to deliver to a mutual friend in Lviv. Thanks to delays, he arrived in Lviv later than expected, when the city was already under curfew, meaning the supplies could not be picked up. The new plan became getting the supplies to Kyiv, no matter what.
Sitting in the cabin of his train, a paramedic from California approached Black. Perhaps grateful he had found another English speaker, Black soon learned that this man was heading to Kyiv.
“I said to him ‘I think we were meant to meet’,” said Black.
The paramedic took the supplies and Black later received an email saying ‘please know you saved lives’.”
David’s host Ivanka. Photo by David Black.
