Here is the report from Dimitri Nosarev:
Dear Idaho Chess Association,
We want to thank you for donating 10 chess sets and financially supporting our humanitarian trip to Romania to help Ukrainian refugees displaced by war.
By virtue of your organization and other donors, it was a very fruitful trip.
It took us about 24 hours to get from Boise to Bucharest, Romania. We brought with us 12 large suitcases of food, medicine, and vitamins, totaling 500+ lbs.
We had three full days in Bucharest, during which our family was extremely busy. Most of the time was spent on shopping for more groceries, baby and hygiene products, and then packing them into boxes to be transported to those in need. At several stores, we bought all of their inventory of certain jams, cereals, and other items. Thanks to all the donations, we were able to purchase humanitarian aid for thousands of US dollars in Romania.
All monetary donations were used for purchasing food and other supplies for the Ukrainian families. We paid our own expenses for travel and lodging, as well as for transportation of all of the humanitarian relief to the places where it was needed.
There are two organizations we worked with in Romania. One of them even under perilous war conditions transports the supplies to most affected Ukrainian cities. We had an opportunity to share peanut butter jars that we brought from the US with 150 households in one of those cities. In addition, we purchased 2 lbs buckets of jelly, some cereal, and coffee for each box of supplies. It was a big blessing to families in the city of Kharkiv located in Eastern Ukraine.
The other non-profit organization opened a center for refugees near the border of Ukraine and Romania. They provide a temporary shelter, feed the families meals, and work with them through the stress and trauma caused by the war.
The government of Romania allows Ukrainians to enter the country but they do not provide any monetary or other types of assistance. This kind of help provided by the refugee center is crucial for families in the beginning while they are figuring out what to do next. We purchased groceries, diapers, and feminine products for this center. We gave them the chess sets that you provided and also purchased additional board games, puzzles, and some other little gifts. Playing games helps refugees, especially children, to deal with the anxiety and shock of the war they have escaped from. This organization also has connections in Ukraine where they help displaced families. Some of the donated items were sent there as well.
It took us over 27 hours to get back to Idaho. We came back tired but our hearts are full. It really is more blessed to give than to receive.
The Nosarev Family
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