By Steve Rand and Alex Ray
We’ve been Rotarians for more than 40 years, and Rotary still surprises us.
Here’s the biggest surprise yet. A handful of Rotarians from a small New Hampshire town have delivered more than 4.5 million pounds of food and critical aid to families in frontline villages in war-torn Ukraine. We couldn’t have done it without Rotary.
It started with a question
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, we kept asking the same thing: What can regular people do from here to help?
We knew where to turn.
Through the magic of Rotary, our club in Plymouth, New Hampshire, USA, connected with the Rotary Club of Zamość Ordynacki in eastern Poland. Together, we built a partnership we call Common Man for Ukraine, a special initiative of the Plymouth Rotary Foundation. Rotary roots from the ground up.
Why Rotary made it possible
We had never met our partners in Zamość. But we knew we shared something important: The Four-Way Test and a commitment to serving others.
That gave us confidence. We knew regular people like us would be our partners overseas. And we knew we could count on Rotary clubs across the United States to back us up. And they have. Dozens of clubs now support the work.
What we’ve done together
- Delivered 4.5 million pounds of food and critical aid to children and families in front-line villages
- Served more than 1,600 Ukrainian children and widows of Ukrainian soldiers killed or missing in action through our mental health retreats: 18-day retreats for children and 10-day Mothers’ retreats for widowed caregivers
- Led 16 trips into Ukraine with our Rotary partners to hand-deliver supplies to people in desperate need of support
Why we keep going back
Alex Ray works with volunteers to deliver supplies during an August trip.” data-large-file=”https://blog.rotary.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/alex-in-august-trip-to-ukraine.jpg?w=300″ />We just returned recently from our second trip to Ukraine this year. We’ll go back in December for our 17th trip overall.
People ask us if it’s dangerous. Yes, it is. But Ukrainians live with drones and missiles every day, and they keep their families and communities going. We only need to be as brave as they are for a few weeks at a time.
No kidding: Rotary has shrunk the world. It’s something every Rotary member can be proud of.
How your club can help
If Rotary can connect a small town in New Hampshire to a frontline village in Ukraine, imagine what your club could do.
Rotary clubs across the country can join the effort with a donation, or by inviting us to present to your club, or hosting a fundraiser in support of this effort. Learn more at commonmanforukraine.org.
If you live near Hanover, New Hampshire, Philadelphia, or New York City, join us at one of October’s benefit concerts where an incredible klezmer band from Odesa will perform:
- Oct. 9 – Kommuna Lux benefit concert in Hanover, New Hampshire
- Oct. 11 – Kommuna Lux benefit concert in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Oct. 13 – Kommuna Lux benefit concert in New York, New York
Is your club already a supporter? Thank you! Please help us keep this humanitarian, Rotary effort going by sharing this post with your Rotary network.
About the authors: Steve Rand and Alex Ray are longtime members of the Plymouth New Hampshire Rotary Club and co-founders of Common Man for Ukraine, a special initiative of the Plymouth Rotary Foundation. Contact: steve@commonmanforukraine.org