Music, food, fellowship to help tell story of Common Man for Ukraine

GILFORD — A fundraiser at First United Methodist Church aims to build on the success of a similar evening last year, during which $10,000 was raised to support the Common Man for Ukraine effort.

While that funding is certainly necessary, just as important is the opportunity for local people to hear the stories of how that money will change lives in a corner of the world ravaged by war.

The church will host an evening of song, food and information at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12. The event will include a six-song performance by local musicians, and will conclude with the serving of chili and ice cream, provided by the Common Man family of restaurants.

In between the entertainment and refreshments, those in attendance will hear a presentation from the Common Man for Ukraine team about the humanitarian effort to support the people, and especially the children, who have found themselves to be collateral damage in the Russian invasion of their homeland.

Paul Weston, trustee of the church, said the fundraiser was started last year by First United’s mission committee. “The committee felt that reaching out to the war zone in Ukraine was very important, and we felt the Common Man effort was very impressive,” Weston said.

To date, Common Man for Ukraine, which started with a $1 million donation from Common Man founder Alex Ray, has collected more than $3.5 million, from both individual donations as well as events such as the one planned for Thursday.

Susan Mathison is one of a team of people who regularly travels with Ray to Poland and Ukraine. She said money raised in Gilford will likely make a world of difference for the people it will serve, noting it costs $44 to feed a single child for a month in Ukraine. If the church fundraiser matches last year’s figure, “you’re feeding hundreds of kids for a month.”

There’s a significance beyond the money, though, she said.

“We love to share the story of Ukraine,” Mathison said. “Right now, when you pick up the New York Times or the Boston Globe, you’ll read about the number of tanks, the soldiers killed, apartment buildings bombed. But seldom do you hear about the stories of the children of Ukraine.”

Mathison said the children they encounter are often in orphanages or safe houses. “Children will tell us about their father, who they were in their community and what they meant in their lives,” she said. “They hold these people up, that sacrificed themselves for their independence.

“Even if someone attends this event and cannot chip in a dime, that’s totally fine, because what we want is for people to know about Sofia or Maxine, that they’re doing their best and staying totally committed to living their lives,” Mathison said.

To date, Common Man for Ukraine has delivered more than $2 million in food aid, largely through twice-monthly deliveries from partnering organizations in Poland. They’ve also supplied more than 10,000 sleeping bags and several hundred generators, which have been critical in keeping children warm during the many power outages caused by Russian attacks.

The Common Man effort has also started making deliveries to villages on the front lines, to bring tons of clothing and other comfort items to families who have suffered from Russian occupation.

Lastly, the Common Man campaign has funded retreats to help children deal with their trauma. These retreats run monthly, for three weeks each, and each help 30 to 35 children at a time. More than 800 children have been through these retreats to date.

All of that work, Mathison has said, started with groups of people gathering to pool their resources in the hopes that they could help.

“The grassroots connection is what’s grown our New Hampshire-based nonprofit from zero to $3.5 million,” Mathison said, noting they “never dreamed” that the Ukraine effort would reach its current scale. “The way we’ve been able to continue to grow and serve more people in Ukraine is through that kind of networking, showing up at a church, showing up at a book club and telling these stories.”

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct Paul Weston's title. Weston is a trustee of First United Methodist Church.