The main reason why our Foundation exists is the elderly people in Ukraine we want to help. They are the reason for the creation of Starenki and our source of inspiration.

They are all very different and at the same time very similar. They are similar, first of all, because they are single – they do not have close relatives or other people who would take care of them.

But also they receive a very low pension, which is barely enough to cover utility bills and the most necessary food. Many of them can only dream of new clothes, leisure, something delicious or even quality medicine. Therefore, our supposedly small food aid is actually very large, because it frees up money that they can spend on necessary medicines or something else that is very necessary.

Interestingly, many of them say that our attention is much more important than the products we brought.

Before the quarantine we tried to communicate with each of them,
and our volunteers received thousands of thanks and wishes for health, happiness and other benefits. Undoubtedly, volunteers have to see and hear sad stories, because some have had a difficult life, some have had tragedies that still go unnoticed, and some are so sick or suffering from loneliness that they no longer want to live.

Building a responsible attitude of the young Ukrainians to elderly people

That is how we defined our mission. Our dream is that young people do not forget to take care of their elderly parents, grandparents and, last but not least, think about their own elderly age and prepare for it – take care of their physical and psychological health, build a pension plan, take care of family and loyal friends nearby.

Our principles

When creating the Foundation, we promised ourselves the following:
Act simple and logical.
Do not use cash.

Together, these two points allow us to be transparent – all the activities of the Foundation can be seen in a simple bank statement.
We are open to audit and questions. All our founding documents and monthly reports can be found
here

Starenki Foundation is a volunteer organization created by ordinary people

The Foundation has nothing to do with political organizations or individuals, we have no oligarchs or big businesses backing us. The founders of the Foundation do not receive any financial benefit from its existence.

The safety of elderly people is our highest priority

The Starenki Foundation does not work directly with beneficiaries, does not seek them out on its own, and the Foundation’s volunteers NEVER come to beneficiaries without a social worker or other representative of the relevant social service, who warns us in advance about our joint visit. This is one of the fundamental principles of the Foundation’s functioning.

Where does the Foundation raises money from?

Most of the donations come from our followers on Facebook and Instagram. These are ordinary people who trust us and support our activities.

The Foundation has a large number of loyal volunteers who, having visited the grocery store more than once, become our mouthpiece and tell everyone about us and encourage people to donate.

Corporate sector

A certain part of fundraising comes from corporate donations.
In 2020 we have also received two grants, which have been fully utilized as of May 2021.
More interesting figures and details can be seen in our 2020 Report.

Foundation administration

Most of donations are directed to the purchase of food aid packages. However, we also need funds to help us cover administrative costs of the Foundation management. You can read more about this here

Where does Starenki Foundation operate now?

Currently, the Foundation operates in three districts of Kyiv (Dniprovsky, Podilsky, Shevchenkivsky), six districts of Dnipro (Central, Amur-Nyzhnodniprovskyi District, Shevchenkivsky, Soborny, Samara and Industrial), and together with the international charity fund Caritas Ukraine we help dependents in Lviv, Boryslav, Kolomyia and Kramatorsk.

We are constantly expanding our volunteer community and the amount of assistance to lonely elderly people, both through the activities of the Foundation and through the dissemination of the idea of good neighborliness.

Want to join? Great! Write to the volunteer coordinator in your city, join volunteer groups or write to us in private messages on Facebook or Instagram.

If we are not yet in your city but you are ready to become our coordinator, write us a letter describing your motivation. But first, please read the section of the site “How it all works” to understand more about the specifics of our activities.

Contact starenki

help@starenki.com.ua

If you want to do something important yourself

Read about Good Neighborliness and start doing something together with friends!
We are sure that you will succeed and you will be able to multiply good on your own! After all, that’s how we started ourselves – from our own simple steps and together with a handful of caring people.