Bethenny Frankelhas helped raise some significant additional monetary support for Ukraine.
TheReal Housewives of New York Cityalum, 51, announced Tuesday onLIVE with Kelly and Ryanthat herBStrongnonprofit hasraised another $4 million in cash donationsin addition to the $10 million in aid that the organization is already delivering to the region.
“And this is the American people,” Frankel told hostRyan Seacrest. “These are $50 donations because a $50 donation could be a train ticket for someone to get where they need to get to. So, it’s been all about small donations, that’s the thing that’s been really inspiring.”
Frankel said her group was initially in Poland helping Ukrainian refugees with relocation, in addition to providing them with crisis kits. Last month, shortly after the conflict began, the former reality startold PEOPLEthat her nonprofit had started to roll out 100,000 crisis kits, which came with items such as blankets, sleeping bags, toiletry kits, non-perishables, water, and generators.
“So many people stayed,” Frankel said on Tuesday. “We’ve seen such a [large] group of people who stayed and there’s no food for them … so we’re going back in.”
Ukrainian children.NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty
Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.
With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.
Irpin, Ukraine.ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty
In addition to raising funds, Frankel and her nonprofit have been tasked with handling the logistics of shipping aid overseas, though she’s had some assistance from experts along the way.
“This is also about how much we can efficiently transport,” Frankel previously told PEOPLE as BStrong sent out its first round of aid. She added, “We always make multiple trips, and this could be a six-month to, God knows, a year-long effort. It depends. We’re just starting to figure this out.”
Frankel has promised to continue providing supplies to Ukraine in the coming months and is still accepting donations.
People stand with their luggage as they wait to be relocated from the temporary shelter for refugees in a former shopping center between the Ukrainian border and the Polish city of Przemysl on March 8.LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP via Getty Images
“When the headlines fade, we’re still finishing a mission. You can’t go there, you can’t commit to something without following through,” Frankel said at the time. “And aid has to be fully distributed, and money allocated to a certain disaster relief effort has to be fully distributed. So it’s a long process. It’s not a one-and-done thing.”
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She continued: “This is looking like it will be the greatest humanitarian crisis since World War II … We’re lucky that we can do something when so many people feel helpless,” she says.
Donations to BStrong can be made athttps://bethenny.com/bstrong.
source: people.com
