On February 24, 2022, Russia launched what was expected to be a “short-lived” war against the sovereign, democratic nation of Ukraine. Analysts around the world anticipated that Kyiv would fall within days. They said a puppet government would swiftly be installed to impose Putin’s will.

But they all failed to account for the bravery of the Ukrainian people.

They all failed to account for the determination of Ukrainians to remain a free and democratic nation.

Now, the Russian army resorts to indiscriminately shelling Ukrainian cities with banned weaponry, while kidnapping and torturing Ukrainian defenders and civilians alike.

We have all seen the images of shot-up, overturned and tank-crushed civilian vehicles left rotting in the middle of Ukrainian streets. These are not Ukrainian military vehicles. These are your neighbor’s old Toyota and your aunt’s practically-new Renault.

These were the cars of civilians trying to escape the Russian occupiers of their towns.

These were the cars of brave volunteers transporting desperately needed food and medications to occupied cities.

We could not sit idly by. Our team of volunteers launched the Ukraine Needs Wheels fundraiser to procure used SUVs, pickups and vans from the European Union, and we have been transporting these vehicles into Ukraine to support critical humanitarian aid efforts throughout the country. We will leverage our partnership with DAAR Charitable Foundation to greatly expand our reach and better support the people of Ukraine.