November 2025
Dear Friends of Ukraine,
As the year comes to a close, we’re reflecting with deep gratitude on everything your support has made possible. Though this has proven to be yet another challenging year for Ukraine, your kindness and generosity have had a real impact on the lives of both the Defenders on the front lines and the civilians they serve to protect.
This month’s newsletter highlights some of our most notable achievements over the past year– namely over half a million in supplies sent to the front lines. And as we approach the holiday season, we’ll also be launching our annual Holiday Giving Campaign–our most important fundraiser of the year, which has historically raised around 25% of our annual revenue. This campaign has proven vital for our annual operating budget, allowing us to continue our mission of saving the lives and strengthening the resolve of Ukrainian Defenders. We hope you’ll stand with us again this season.
Read on to see how your generosity made an impact in September and throughout 2025, upcoming events, the ins-and-outs of our Holiday Giving Campaign, and all about our very own Becky Radnaev–the mastermind behind our Meet the Bees bios. Or, read no further and help Ukraine by clicking ‘Donate Now’ above.
Thank you for making a difference.
Together we are stronger!
Kyle, Andriy, Slava, Ulana, Natalie and all of us at
Sunflower Seeds Ukraine
Spread Seeds of Help!
In September 2025, the SFSU US Team provided 996 items to 503 Defenders, including:
206 individual first-aid kits (including tourniquets, chest seals...)
273 protective equipment items (electronic earmuffs, knee pads...)
408 field gear items (backpacks, Camelbacks, canteens...)
205 uniform components (uniform sets, sleeping pads, boots...)
209 other items (binoculars, drone detectors...)
This month saw high demand for small backpacks, sleeping bags, and mats, while electronic earmuffs, optical binoculars, and drone detectors remain popular year-round. And we’re very happy to report that the boiler for school children in Ukraine that you helped fund has been installed; thanks to you, the children will remain warm throughout winter! We’d like to extend a huge thanks to the 230 of our donors who contributed to our efforts this month–we appreciate your help!
A Year’s Worth of Work
Over the past year, you’ve helped us make a significant difference in the lives of 5,003 Ukrainian Defenders and hundreds of civilians impacted by the hardships of war. Together, we provided more than $600,000 in aid—from medical supplies and protective gear to uniform components, field gear, and humanitarian relief. Every dollar you gave became real help in the hands of those who needed it most. If you missed our November 1 webinar recapping our impact, you can view the slides here or watch the full recording here.
October celebrated Ukraine’s vibrant culture through music (with one of Ukraine's most popular bands, Bez Obmezhen to Denver); film (a screening of Yogis of Ukraine at the Boulder Public Library, which included a panel discussion with Sunflower Seeds Ukraine's own Jaymi Devans, who recently visited Ukraine volunteering to heal defenders); and literature (Ukrainian author and filmmaker Ruslan Horoviy’s appearances at three locations along the front range). Thanks to everyone who came out to support these artists and pillars of Ukrainian civil society.
The first Solar Charger for Ukraine event at Fairview High School was a huge success. Over 60 participants, including many students from the high school, decorated and converted 25 solar panels into solar charges for Ukrainian defenders and civilians. A heartfelt zoom call with panel recipients in Ukraine and the camaraderie found among the participants were highlights of the morning. Thanks to all who came or supported the event!
Save the Date for Upcoming December Events
Ukrainian Christmas Market, December 6th, sponsored by Ukrainians of Colorado. Come visit our Sunflower Seeds Ukraine table and purchase holiday gifts that support our mighty cause!
Solar Chargers for Ukraine at Fairview High School in Boulder, December 13th from 10-12:30 on Saturday at Fairview High School in Boulder. Bring your family and friends to give the best gift of the Holiday Season–your time, heart, and talent!
Concert for Ukraine on Sunday, December 14, from 4:30-6:30pm at the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1241 Ceres Drive, Lafayette. Tickets can be purchased here.
For more information and photos of our recent events, see our blog post.
Over the next couple of months, we’ll be laying the foundation for the work we are able to do in 2026. You’ll be hearing from us a lot throughout November and December, as the annual Holiday Giving Campaign (HGC) is our most important fundraising campaign of the year. We’ll be asking you to help us spread the word about Sunflower Seeds Ukraine, to sign up as a monthly donor, to help us make the most of matching gifts, and to contribute to time-sensitive initiatives like our Drone Safety Campaign.
What we raise during the final two months of 2025 will chart the course for what Sunflower Seeds Ukraine is able to accomplish in 2026. In 2024, through the generosity of 370 donors, the $126,056 we raised made up 25 percent of our 2025 annual operating budget, and enabled us to deliver more than $600,000 in critical medical aid, personal protective equipment, and important field gear (like backpacks or foot warmers) to Ukrainian Defenders, as well as humanitarian aid.
For 2026, we’ve set an even more ambitious goal of $150,000 for our Holiday Giving Campaign. We’re counting on you to continue to make our work possible. Slava Ukraini!
Meet Becky, one of SFSU’s longest-serving volunteers. Becky is our webmaster and the author of the Meet the Bees bios (including this one!). Originally from Wales, UK, Becky worked in France and China before moving to the US in 2013. Living first in California and then in Colorado, she has made several cherished Ukrainian friends, eaten many varenyky (dumplings), and even filmed a TV news story about entrepreneurs from Kyiv. She’s always admired the resourcefulness of the Ukrainian people.
Becky works in digital design and brings that experience to managing our website. She joined SFSU in 2022 and has helped with event tabling and the solar panel project. She remembers the disbelief she felt when the war broke out: “For a sovereign nation to be invaded with such calculated aggression seemed unimaginable. My heart broke to see the scale of the destruction.”
As with many volunteers, SFSU has offered Becky a tangible way to make a difference. “My actions may be small but the focus and determination of this organization amplifies them. By supporting Defenders, we push the course of history towards the triumph of good over evil.”
To read more about Becky and other SFSU team members, go to our Patreon page. There, you can also subscribe to get exclusive interviews with recipients of our aid from the front lines and behind-the-scenes videos about our work.
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD
Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested, or use this form to subscribe or unsubscribe. The web version of this and all previous newsletters is here. For more frequent updates about our work, please like our Facebook page, follow us on Instagram, and subscribe to our Youtube channel and Patreon page. Browse our website for multiple ways to donate, or send us an email if you have any questions.
*The misspelling and lower casing of proper names like ‘russia’ in this newsletter is intentional and used as signs of disdain and disrespect. Similarly, the uppercasing of words such as ‘Defenders’ is intentional and used as a sign of respect and appreciation.
Note: Sunflower Seeds Ukraine is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 99-3371103) registered in the state of Colorado, in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service. Donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by U.S. law.
