Bethenny Frankel’s aid to Ukraine, “BStrong,” will provide solace to Ukrainian refugees who have been victims of war and severe poverty after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. BStrong also assisted the people of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria made it difficult to support their families and find sufficient food and medicine.

Survival Kits

The former reality star, author and philanthropist Bethenny Frankel is using her nonprofit organization BStrong to aid Ukrainian refugees who the Russian invasion has affected. A disaster relief fund, BStrong is sending 100,000 crisis kits, totaling up to $10 million in aid, to Ukraine. Frankel spoke in detail about the aid and the charity’s preparations. The kits include blankets, sleeping bags, toiletry items, non-perishables, water and generators.

Bethenny Frankel’s aid to Ukraine abundantly grew with relief funds and progressed from being a minuscule company to global, with a stockroom continuously piled with relief funds. Frankel describes the quantity of humanitarian aid as volunteers and coordinators ship the crisis kits to Poland, expressing that “Today, one 40-foot container went. Tomorrow, two 40-foot containers will go out… and it’s good to sort of stagger because it’s a lot more than you can visualize: $10 million in aid is an extraordinary amount.” Each box comprises aid with a value of $250,000. Some of the donations came from companies like Goya, Delta and Away.

Frankel dedicated herself to raising more than $10 million of aid, stating “We will go back, we are raising money, we have $6 million more in aid. This is also about how much we can efficiently transport.” She is hoping to continue to provide aid to the people of Ukraine to alleviate poverty.

More Than $100 Million in Aid for Ukraine

Through Bethenny Frankel’s aid to Ukraine charity, “BStrong,” other celebrities partnered to assist Frankel. Jordan Wiseley from “The Challenge,” Maksim Chmerkovskiy from “Dancing with the Stars” and former reality star Ramona Singer are three examples. In partnership with Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), BStrong surpassed its goal of $10 million reaching more than $100 million in charitable aid. The aid contains sanitation and emergency equipment, overnight bags and money to accommodate Ukrainian refugees with inns and airline tickets.

Speaking about the importance of her team and her purpose of BStrong, Frankel said, “It made me realize that we are unstoppable. My focus is on helping people whose lives have been ravaged by unforeseen circumstances. They are in desperate need of aid and an immediate solution.” She describes BStrong as a “hub where many brand name organizations will come to receive aid for their efforts” and explains how it is the organization’s expertise and strong point.

Four Planes to Aid Hurricane Maria Victims

This is not the first time that Frankel took the lead in providing aid to disaster zones. In 2017, she traveled to Puerto Rico to help individuals and families who were victims of Hurricane Maria. From Miami to Puerto Rico, Frankel chartered four planes loaded with medical equipment, food and pepsin weighing more than 20,000 pounds, plus another 2,000 pounds in nutritious meals from Feeding America and City Harvest. Along with food and medical items, the aid comprised an additional $30,000 in Costco gift cards and $25,000 in gift cards and currency from Yieldstreet. In collaboration with Delivering Good, BStrong utilized thousands of dollars in endowments from donors like Andy Cohen. Elvis Duran contributed $10,000 to BStrong, $20,000 for the four planes and $100,000 to Feeding America to assist with disaster aid.

After Frankel’s arrival, the planes delivered hundreds of ill and injured women, children and cancer patients from nearby hospitals to U.S. hospitals for medical care. When Frankel saw the destruction that Hurricane Maria left, she was in disbelief about the living conditions people were subject to, stating “They are starving. They are thirsty. They cannot communicate. They cannot bathe themselves. They wash their babies and laundry in street water.” After witnessing the inhumane living conditions in Puerto Rico, Frankel, with assistance from the Global Empowerment Mission, immediately set out to acquire more than $1 million in funds and provisions.

BStrong for Ukraine

Bethenny Frankel’s disaster relief, “BStrong,” provides necessities and safety to Ukrainian refugees who have become victims of war. With a background in humanitarian work like helping Hurricane Maria and poverty victims, BStrong will continue to give supplies, and aid and be a haven for the lives of Ukrainian refugees.

– Jacara Watkins
Photo: Flickr