Rachael Helps Put Together Life-Saving Supply Kits at Ukrainian Safe House

During Rachael's most recent trip to Ukraine, she takes us inside a Ukrainian safe house, where life-saving supply kits are put together to be sent to the frontlines of the war.

"A safe house is a safe house for a reason, it has no address... It has to move constantly and continuously or it can be taken or attacked or bombed," explains Rachael.

One of the most important things to come out of these safe houses are the kits for the fighters. "In all three trips that I've made to Lviv, the very first thing we committed to helping with were NATO-approved kits for frontline fighters. The medical kits are the thing that's most important to the people on the frontlines," she adds.

Over 2,500 have already gone to the frontlines. They contain a tourniquet, proper bandages, hemostatic gauze to stop bleeding and help save limbs. "Everything for all these kids that were thrown into war with a rifle and a band-aid."

Rachael Ray Show

The kits that are packed in the safe houses give soldiers suffering from a trauma would about a 50% or better chance of staying alive on the battlefield.

As far as what Ukraine still needs, Rachael explains the medical equipment for small children and babies is top of mind.

"For whatever reason there are an enormous number of kids that have developed cataracts since the beginning of this phase of the war,” she said. "We spent a lot of time at St. John Bosco and in hospitals and in the mayor’s office collecting more detailed information on what we need for our next trip. Right now, the two big-focus items are protective clothing for the winter months and the eyesight needs of kids at the children’s hospital … specifically two machines that will facilitate removing cataracts from itty-bitties … and we're working on [getting equipment for] treating tiny surgical wounds because they've never had bullet wounds in babies before," she says.

Rachael Ray Show

Rachael plans to make her next trip to Ukraine in March, which is going to be the longest she's gone between trips. "It's going to be the longest I haven't been there … and it's already freaking me out. I have nightmares about it. It haunts me. Once you're in, you’re in. I’ve met so many thousands of people and fed so many thousands that it's part of me now — I can't turn it off," Rach explains.

"I am a person of service and have been that way since I was 12,” she said. “This is who I am and who I will be until I'm gone. It's the reason I was born. I'm a citizen of the world and that's all I want to be; everything else is gravy. I love making TV shows but the thing I love most about our show is when we show people how many good works are being done by their neighbors and in their communities."

HOW YOU CAN HELP AT HOME

If you feel as moved as Rach to help the people in Ukraine, here are the organizations where you can donate:

World Central Kitchen

Unbroken
*Power is often off in Ukraine and systems can be down, so please try again if your donation does not go through the first time

Ukrainian Congress Committee of America