A Chatham resident who has supported Ukraine for nearly three decades is headed to the country as it grapples with the ongoing invasion of Russian troops.
Kevin Broadwood is one of the original founders and now president of the Chatham-based charity Loads of Love.
Loads of Love is a humanitarian aid and mission society that was created in 1995 as a one-time humanitarian response to eastern Ukraine following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Kevin Broadwood (via Facebook)
According to Broadwood, the group initially sent one shipping container of supplies and donations to Ukraine. From there, Loads of Love continued to grow and establish relationships across the country. Broadwood said they've been able to ship 25 containers full of donations to Ukraine since Loads of Love's inception.
Another one of the group's founders Ed Dickson, of Leamington, eventually decided to go full time with his mission work, establishing a Loads of Love office in Ukraine, and becoming the group's overseas director. The Loads of Love office in Ukraine has over 40 full-time staff members to help distribute the donations that get shipped from Canada and the group also now cares for around 3,000 orphaned children and 1,500 elderly residents of Ukraine.
Following the news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, Loads of Love staff members in Ukraine have relocated over 500 people from bomb shelters and hundreds of orphaned children to safety in bordering countries as well as delivered medicine and food to thousands of more residents.
"Their heart for their people over there is absolutely extreme," he said. "Our Loads of Love workers that are there, they're collecting all the groceries, going out and getting those groceries, getting the clothes that they need, medicine, all the necessities. They are coming out of bunkers at night to go and try and find this stuff and bring it to the people in the cities that are just being rattled."
Broadwood said he felt compelled to travel to the country with Dickson and help out as much as possible.
"Because of the war that's going on, it's just tragic," he said. "The people on the ground are sending us stories and everything that's going on. So we've been able to, with great donations from everywhere beyond our expectations, we've been able for the most part to wire transfer funds but there are some areas we can't."
Broadwood left for his journey on Thursday night. After an over eight-hour plane ride, he's set to arrive in Warsaw, Poland.
"We're going to spend a couple of days there. Then we have our Loads of Love individuals over there coming to pick us up at the border of Ukraine," he explained. "We're going to be in Lviv and from there, it's day by day, heading east to where we need to go to bless these people and how far we can go."
During his time in Ukraine, Broadwood and Dickson are going to help the Loads of Love volunteers there prepare for the arrival of two shipping containers that were recently sent from Canada.
Southwestern Ontario Gleaners prepare soup mix for Loads of Love Ukraine mission (Screengrab via SWO Gleaners Facebook)
According to Broadwood, one container is filled with enough freeze-dried soup mix to make 1-million meals. The second container is filled with enough food for 250,000 more meals along with diapers, blankets, first aid kits, wheelchairs, hygiene products, sleeping bags, backpacks and hundreds of teddy bears.
"Probably more than anything, Ed and I are really going to encourage those people that are in such distraught," he said. "We just want to give encouragement, give them some hope, help where we need to. They're scared, they don't know where to go they don't know where to turn. Some are staying because they're scared. We're going to come back to Canada blessed because of their passion and their hearts more so than what we're blessing them."
Broadwood said the volunteers in Chatham-Kent have spent countless hours over the past few weeks packing the donations and preparing the containers for shipment.
Donations headed to Ukraine with Loads of Love ( via Jabez Blanket Ministry International Facebook)
He said his main wish is to let the people of Ukraine know that they are not alone.
"Because we have such tight relationships with them over there, we just want to be a support," he said. "Let them know people from Canada are over here praying for them, donating to them and are just so concerned for them...Over in Canada little Loads of Love in Chatham is on their side."
Broadwood spent seven weeks in Ukraine and got to see the first Loads of Lover shipping container be delivered over 25 years ago but has not been back since. While others might think twice about visiting a country that's currently in the middle of a violent conflict, Broadwood used the words "anxious" and "excited" to describe how he's feeling about the trip, adding that he's most looking forward to being able to make a positive impact.
He said his family is also excited for him, for the most part.
"They have nerves but they know my heart. My wife told me 'you have to be there, you have to go.' My kids, they're very proud of me. The difficult part was calling my mother," he laughed. "I'm a mom's boy and she doesn't like it when I go on mission trips very much. But she knows the Lord's going to protect us and everyone's on board."
Broadwood is set to come back to Chatham on April 22. For anyone interested in following along with his journey, he recommends visiting his Facebook page.
He added that none of it would be possible without the generosity of the Chatham-Kent community and anyone who wishes to donate can visit the Loads of Love website to learn how to do so.