NEW Non-Profit Gate to Ukraine Concept Cuts Out Middlemen Donations Go Straight from Your Pocket to Families in Need Alex Zatvor, a Chicago entrepreneur, launches the U.S.-based 501(c)3 non-profit Gate to Ukraine, a pocket-to-purpose initiative that ensures all cash donations go directly to families in need, in response to the fact that hundreds of thousands of families are living outside the reach of humanitarian resources, many of them in temporarily occupied Russian army-controlled territories.
According to founder and CEO Alex Zatvor, "Unfortunately, humanitarian aid is not reaching millions of people in need." "As native Ukrainians, we made it our mission to develop a cutting-edge delivery method that we hope will serve as a benchmark for generosity. It offers the quickest way to get desperately needed funds to the source without a middleman and is completely transparent.
Families can apply for a donation of up to $100 USD, which can be used to cover a month's worth of food, diapers, or prescription drugs. They are required to submit an application with their address, email, phone number, and social media profiles, as well as images and a video detailing how the war has impacted their lives. The application and the family's location are verified by a Gate.org team in Ukraine. On the Gate.org website, where donors can select a specific family or can donate generally to cover multiple families, the translated and published stories for approved applications.
The donations are then transferred via wire transfer from the Gate.org bank account in the US to the bank account of their registered charitable organization in Ukraine. From there, Gate.org distributes the donations directly to families' debit cards by converting the USD to UAH at the going bank rate.
In contrast to other foundations, Gate to Ukraine does not impose any fees; all donations—less payment processing and currency conversion costs (Stripe charges 2.2%, Zelle charges 0%)—are immediately transferred into the bank account of a family in need. Alex and his team have raised more than $220,000 USD for 2,000 Ukrainian families since establishing Gate to Ukraine earlier this year.
The pride of the Russian military, the T80BVM Russian Tank, was destroyed, and Alex and his team used its gun to create Destroy The Tank, a sale of 500 numbered limited edition engraved fragments.
Earlier in the conflict, it was paraded in Moscow before attacking Ukraine from Belgorod. After being stopped near Kharkiv by the Ukrainian brigade Kraken, it moved to the Eastern front. Zatvor and his team received official permission from Ukraine's Defense Intelligence and Armed Forces to lift and transport the destroyed tank to a factory in central Ukraine where fragments are engraved, packaged, and sold for $250; 100% of the proceeds go directly to aid Ukrainian people. This was made possible thanks to the kind support of Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
"Sponsoring a family is often the difference between them starving or eating, between their ability to leave active conflict zones or being compelled to remain and risk their lives," adds Zatvor. "Despite their tragic circumstances, their incredible tenacity, steadfastness, and endless passion for Ukrainian freedom and independence are what keep us working tirelessly to assist as many families as we can,"