Cardigan Community Sends Comforts of Home to Ukraine 

Last month, during the last few days before Cardigan’s spring vacation, the Cardigan community came together to support Ukrainian servicemen and women fighting to save their homeland from aggression. The idea, initiated by Director of Facilities Planning & Construction Tim Jennings, was to source, pack, and ship kits of personal comfort items to soldiers on war’s front lines. Before long, the project came to be known as “Operation Foxhole.” 

After receiving support from Head of School Chris Day P’12,’13, Mr. Jennings found more help from Assistant Dean of Student Life Meredith Frost P’25, who gathered volunteer members of Cardigan’s National Junior Honor Society in Klein Theater to pack the 100 individual kits. Adam and Jennifer McAlister, members of Cardigan’s facilities department and former members of the U.S. Army, suggested items that would be useful and appreciated, from a toothbrush and toothpaste to socks, hand warmers, water purification tablets, coffee, and hot chocolate–anything that might make a winter night in a war zone just a little more bearable. The boys quickly organized themselves into an assembly line to pack the 23 separate items in sealed bags. The last item placed in every kit was a handwritten note of support and encouragement from a student for the receiving soldier.  

The School Store Team of Jamielynn Garland P’22 and Audie Armstrong organized the kits into a shipment to Kyiv, Ukraine where Cardigan parents Vadym Tatus P’24 and Viktoria Panasenko P’24, were waiting and ready to organize the distribution of the kits to the front lines.

“I can’t express how much this matters to the people who got your humanitarian kits and Ukrainian people in general. The realization that there are people in this world willing to help us is giving me hope.”

Viktoria Panasenko P’24

A few days later we received photos of grateful soldiers and a note from Ms. Panasenko, who shared “I would like to take a moment to share my appreciation for your work on supplying Ukrainian soldiers and even more importantly showing your support and compassion. I can’t express how much this matters to the people who got your humanitarian kits and Ukrainian people in general. The realization that there are people in this world willing to help us is giving me hope. Thank you for your support and engagement!”