Thunder Ridge High School National Honor Society teams up with nonprofit to help Ukraine

IDAHO FALLS — National Honor Society members at a local high school are having a fundraiser to help people in Ukraine.

Michelle Worley is a senior at Thunder Ridge High School and a representative of the National Honor Society. She told EastIdahoNews.com that the Honor Society is dedicated to providing leadership and service opportunities.

Worley explained they will have a five-week fundraiser to help raise money to support and provide hot meals in Ukraine.

“With the war over in Ukraine, many families have been forced to leave their homes and don’t have access to electricity, clean water, and other basic necessities needed to survive since they are so close to the frontlines,” Worley said.

The fundraiser kicked off on Thursday and will run until March 8.

Students have partnered with the nonprofit organization To Ukraine With Love. The charity delivers housing, food, and essentials to those affected by the war.

An Idaho Falls woman named Svitlana Miller and her husband formed the nonprofit. Click here to read a previous story about it.

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“For every $10,000 raised, 1,000 people receive two fresh hot meals each day for an entire month,” Worley said. “That is the equivalent of $10 each person for an entire month.”

Students have a goal to raise $20,000 to feed the village of Dergachi for two months. Worley learned that people living in Dergachi were tortured and killed, and their homes were destroyed.

To Ukraine With Love has created a page on its website specific to Thunder Ridge High School students. Click here to donate directly. There’s an option to donate through Venmo and PayPal.

There will also be events, including a Chick-fil-A night where students will be able to receive 5% of the sales to give to the organization as part of the fundraising effort. The event is on Feb. 8 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Thunder Ridge High School National Honor Society previously worked with To Ukraine With Love in Nov. 2022. They were able to raise $20,000 to build a home for a family after their home had been hit by a missile.

Following the fundraiser, in 2023, the National Honor Society was invited to a dinner with the former President of Ukraine–Viktor Yushchenko–who made a stop in Idaho Falls.

Now, Worley says they have continued the fundraising tradition, and they hope to raise as much money as they can.

“I am really excited to see what difference we can make to be able to help people in another country who are just like us but have lost the basic amenities that we get to use every day,” Worley added.