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Heightened Hearts Foundation

Thanksgiving Food Basket Program

The staff and volunteers of the Heightened Hearts (HH) Foundation, a non-profit group based in Miami Beach, Florida, spent the recent 2015 Thanksgiving holiday giving back in a huge way: taking time out of their busy schedules to bring food and fellowship to families in some of the hardest hit areas of Ukraine. In the following article we will provide a brief recap of this wonderful event and describe the incredible need it fills in this struggling European country. We will also highlight some of the easy and remarkable ways in which you can assist the Heightened Hearts Foundation going forward, as the group continues to spread its message of help and love throughout the world.

The HH Foundation’s Thanksgiving Food Giveaway: Why Ukraine?

The well-publicized 2014 conflict in Ukraine left the country in a destabilized state, and remnants of that war, such as landmines and other unexploded devices, continue to put civilian lives at risk. In the wake of this conflict, the humanitarian situation in the country has also been deteriorating, particularly along the “contact line” and in non-government controlled areas.

Caught in the crossfire, more than two million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes, and most of these people continue to face serious challenges. Families have been displaced for months and exposed to harsh winter conditions. Some are unable to return, as their homes have been destroyed or badly damaged.

Because of these unresolved issues, there are now some 1.5 million people in Ukraine that are “food insecure,” including 290,000 severely so and in need of immediate food assistance. Much of the government support and public services—once in place to care for these types of affected underprivileged individuals and families—have stopped in some areas of the country, leaving people nowhere to turn for help. Additionally, food inflation in Ukraine is among the highest in the world. Many of those who were forced to leave their homes have lost their jobs, and their financial resources are thought to be exhausted.

Fortunately, there are groups like the Heartened Hearts Foundation, whose volunteers give freely to help stem the growing problem of hunger and poverty in the region.

About the Heightened Hearts Foundation Thanksgiving Food Program

In the United States, the fourth Thursday in November means one thing: Thanksgiving! It’s a day filled with food, football and family, but most of all, it’s a day to give thanks for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon us throughout the year.

In Ukraine, however, our Thanksgiving is just another Thursday to the residents living there, taking place at a time of year that most people are making preparations for the long, cold winter ahead. Because of this, you can imagine the surprise and sheer joy on the faces of the families for whom the Heightened Hearts Foundation chose to bless through this event, bringing baskets upon baskets of food, all filled to the brim with short-term and long-term foodstuffs.

In keeping with its mission to “create lasting solutions for poverty, hunger, and social injustice,” staff and volunteers of the Heightened Hearts Foundation traveled to Ukraine during the 2015 Thanksgiving season bearing pounds of food—a mix of holiday essentials and some longer-term, non-perishable food items, such as grains and rice, to help stave off hunger during the upcoming winter.

The Heightened Heart’s volunteers were simply indispensable in making this great event such a smashing success. These volunteers worked diligently to identify some of the neediest families in the region, and labored tirelessly to collect all the food that would be used in the giveaway. They were also responsible for packing the food into dozens of gift baskets, and some even assisted in the food distribution process on the day of the event. These volunteers, men and women of all ages and backgrounds, deserve a big pat on the back for their efforts, as events like these would not be possible without their efforts.

To see some of the pictures specific to this successful event, please visit our Facebook page by clicking the following link: Heightened Hearts Thanksgiving Food Basket Program

How Can I Help the Heightened Hearts Foundation?

If you would like to lend your assistance and support to the Heightened Hearts Foundation, either for its Thanksgiving Food Basket Program or its other campaigns in Ukraine, there are a couple ways to do so:

Volunteer

Heighten Hearts is always looking for volunteers to help in the collection, packaging and distribution of food and supplies. Volunteering with the Heightened Hearts Foundation has many advantages, not the least of which is the positive impact your efforts will have on the world around you. Not only will your efforts help to feed, protect and uplift some of the most vulnerable families in Ukraine, you will also reap the benefits of making new friends and contacts and strengthening your social and relationship skills, as well as your leadership ability.

To begin reaping the benefits of volunteering for the Heightened Hearts Foundation, please contact us via phone at (800) 887-2772 or by email at info@heightenedhearts.org. You can also reach us via our Facebook page.

Become a Donor or Sponsor

If your busy schedule doesn’t afford you the luxury of time, you can also support the Heightened Hearts Foundation by becoming a donor or sponsor for our organization. We are always looking for donors and sponsors; people to help us buy the food and supplies for our basket giveaways, and to offset transportation costs as we transport these much-needed supplies to the affected regions/families in Ukraine.

We are currently in desperate need of a truck or a van to help in the transportation of our goods and supplies. This can help us reach even more people and thus expand the program all over the country and world. People wishing to donate or sponsor a vehicle for this purpose will be helping countless families get the food and school supplies they need to survive.

To donate or sponsor a vehicle for our program—or to give in any other way—please contact us via phone at (800) 887-2772, by email at info@heightenedhearts.org, or by standard U.S. Post: 1521 Alton Rd, Ste 819, Miami Beach, Florida 33139. You can also reach us via our Facebook page.

Heightened Hearts