Former governor helps deliver 37K pounds of aid to war-torn Ukrainian villages
By Mary Saladna
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MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (WCVB) — Former New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch is on the ground in Ukraine this week, helping lead a humanitarian mission to deliver 37,000 pounds of food and supplies to children in orphanages and safe houses in six villages previously occupied by Russian forces.
The mission, organized by the nonprofit Common Man for Ukraine, is critical for the survival of these isolated communities.
Roads in the region are perilous, torn apart by conflict and littered with land mines and bomb remnants.
Fields once used for agriculture now sit barren, rendered useless by hidden explosives. In these hard-hit villages, families are destitute, lacking access to basic necessities like water and electricity, and children are unable to attend school.
“The need is greater than ever,” said Susan Mathison, co-founder of Common Man. “Some of these roads that we traverse for 10 or 12 hours at a time are horrible.”
On Tuesday, the mission faced a setback when the van carrying the former governor and his wife, Dr. Susan Lynch, broke down.
Tense moments followed until another vehicle from the convoy arrived to continue the journey.
“Part of our safety measures is to build redundancy into all our systems,” Mathison said, emphasizing the precautions taken to ensure the mission’s success.
Kelly McVeigh, a high school junior from Holderness School in Plymouth, recently returned from volunteering with Common Man as a camp counselor for Ukrainian children who have lost their fathers to the war.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” McVeigh said. “Honestly, it’s given a whole new face to conflict.”
McVeigh expressed deep admiration for the resilience of the children she worked with.
“I just want to emphasize how strong and resilient these young kids are and how important it is that we continue to help them,” McVeigh said.
Since its founding, Common Man for Ukraine has been instrumental in delivering over 2 million pounds of food, 10,000 sleeping bags, hundreds of generators and additional supplies.
This week’s mission will impact 7,300 Ukrainians, including 1,500 children in orphanages and safe houses.
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