We had the good fortune of connecting with Yelyzaveta Stifter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yelyzaveta, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised in the center of Ukraine. Although, traveling and living abroad has reminded me to be more appreciative of my home and heritage.

My big and loving family made me the person I am today – their never-ending support and kindness always keep me strong. I wish I could tell you about how special each and every one of them are. However, I would like to honor my great grandma Lida and the impact she made in my life by sharing her story, which will resonate with what the Ukrainian nation has been through in the last century. Perhaps, this story will shine some light on how resilient and strong Ukraine is!

I was lucky to grow up listening to babka (grandma) Lida telling me about her life. She was born in 1917 – the year of the collapse of the Russian empire followed by revolution, and the dawn of Ukraine’s independence from Russia. She lived in a village called Khyzhnia, in a family of self-made farmers who dedicated everything to raising their five children.
The vast majority of her stories were about the genocide carried out by the Soviet regime from 1932-1933 called Holodomor – a man-made famine, planned and exacerbated by Joseph Stalin in order to eliminate a Ukrainian independence movement. The death toll estimates that up to 10.5 million Ukrainians were killed. Law of Three Spikelets was a decree in the Soviet Union that factually prohibited Ukrainians from owning food. In November and December of 1932, 15 year-old Babka Lida watched all of their crops and cattle being taken away by the police. They raided all the possible hiding places, including chimneys, completely stripping them of reserves and sustenance. The Soviet regime even posted a bounty with reward of a meal if you report on anyone having stashed food. Babka Lida’s mother had a bucket of flour lowered inside their well, and some potatoes buried near the house. They survived on soups with willow leaves and plant roots.

By the gruesome year of 1933, you could see streets laid with people who had died of starvation – they were put on wagons, some still barely alive, and thrown into a one big grave. Some of their neighbors starved to madness resorted to cannibalism of their own children.

Traumatized by these events and others during Holodomor, my great grandma never allowed any food to ever go to waste, she taught everyone in the family for generations to be grateful for what we have.

In 1941 Babka Lida was married and already with her first child, when her husband Mykyta was called to serve in the second World War. He was writing her letters from the front while her and their newborn were hiding in the cellar underground from the shelling. By 1944 the front line was going through their village of Okhmativ, and during the Korsun-Shevchenkivska Battle they had to evacuate to the neighboring villages. After the war, wounded, my great grandpa Mytyta returned home, and together they raised three beautiful, strong and intelligent daughters. All three of them have taught their children and grandchildren to be determined and to support their loved ones no matter the circumstances.

If my great grandma didn’t persist and survive the famine, war, and oppression, I wouldn’t be here today telling her story. In the past, present and in the future, we stood, we stand and will continue standing up to our oppressors. We are a free and independent nation and nobody will ever take that away from us.

Can you give our readers an introduction to Sunflower Seeds Ukraine? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from other charities or nonprofits? 
Since February of 2022, the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, my husband Patrick and I have been fundraising in support of my family and Ukraine’s defenders. This summer, we have decided to expand our scope of help. It was important for me to know exactly where the funds we helped raise would go to, so we joined Sunflower Seeds Ukraine– an all-volunteer initiative founded by Ukrainian immigrants in Boulder, Colorado with a network of delivery and distribution in Poland and Ukraine. Their mission is to save lives by providing medical aid and protective gear to Ukraine’s defenders as well as humanitarian assistance to affected civilians.

Sunflower Seeds Ukraine focuses on supplying advanced individual first-aid kits and protective gear to defenders in eastern and southern Ukraine. We maintain direct communication with aid-recipients on the front lines and work with delivery and distribution partners at every step along the way, and make photo and video reports. In fact, my father and my friends who are serving in the Ukrainian army, defending its sovereignty, have received aid from Sunflower Seeds Ukraine.

Unlike some of the large famous charities with big overhead costs, Sunflower Seeds Ukraine stands out for its ability to deliver support with rare efficiency: they specialize in medical and protective products responsive to front-line needs, have tight supply and distribution chains, and our volunteer team brings no overhead costs. To date, Sunflower Seeds Ukraine has gained support from over 500 donors from over 20 countries.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As a new Colorado resident, I have been exploring the local food scene, and found a restaurant in Aurora that has turned out to be a delightful yet nostalgic treat – Baba & Pop’s. It is an authentic Polish restaurant that was founded and run by a family whose grandparents immigrated from Poland about 100 years ago. Polish and Ukrainian cuisines share this delicious traditional food with a variety of stuffings, however in Poland they are called Pierogi and Ukrainians call them Varenyky. This restaurant is a must-visit place for everyone who appreciates a hearty meal!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Andriy Zakutayev and his wife Viktoriya – the founders of Sunflower Seeds Ukraine. Despite being parents to two small children, they successfully run a multinational nonprofit that helps save lives. They have a special ability to see the best in everyone. Andriy is a dad, renewable energy scientist, and a leader who has united so many people from around the world to help Ukraine fight for its future.
Be like Andriy! Join us to support Ukrainians in their struggle in a way that is convenient for you.

#GiveToUkraine
https://www.patreon.com/SunflowerSeedsUkraine/
https://givebutter.com/SunflowerSeeds

Website: https://www.sunflowerseedsukraine.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunflower_seeds_ukraine/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UASunflowerSeed

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunflowerSeedsUkraine

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1kNDfQDj5RgtoJnc_hULMQ

Image Credits
Sunflower Seeds Ukraine

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