Seeds Spring Life
Vira’s* life consists of a quiet but constant struggle to make ends meet. At 56, she’s too young to pull any pension and employment opportunities are scarce. She has no family near, so she scrapes by tending her near-acre of land, some chickens, and a cow in a small village in eastern Ukraine.
“I rely only on what I can grow with my own hands,” Vira said.
She recently had to hire out the ploughing and cultivation of her land because it was too large to handle on her own. Sadly, the necessary expense cost more than her month’s income from the sale of her cow’s milk.
“I didn’t know how I would manage,” Vira said.
Tomatoes (left) and peppers (right) sprout inside to be ready for planting when the temperatures warm in Ukraine.
That’s when Samaritan’s Purse showed up with potato and tomato seeds, giving her hope that her sole income from the milk would now stretch further than it did before. Included in the seed supply were other vegetables, including onions, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, beets, zucchini, corn, peas, greens, and radishes.
Now rows of leaves are popping up from the soil as signs of hope and sustenance for the months ahead. The colourful crop will even include the treat of watermelon!
Rows of beets encourage Vira’s heart that her pantry will be full this fall.
Knowing the growing season can be short in parts of Ukraine, Samaritan’s Purse also provided an 18-foot hotbed and a seedling set complete with a tray and pots. Vira can get her plants started early to insure they grow to maturity before frost comes in the fall.
With a little help from a hotbed, young plants get a good start even while it is cool in Ukraine.
Vira was overjoyed that Samaritan’s Purse also provided a drip irrigation system and shading net to help the plants endure the severe sun of July and August. Add to all this complex fertiliser, five sets of garden gloves, and an agricultural manual we provided, and she is poised to be well-fed even as conflict continues. God will make things grow.
Vira received from Samaritan’s Purse this seedling tray that now is fostering pepper plants.
“This is such a great help for me,” Vira said. “It will truly make my life easier. I am sincerely grateful for Samaritan’s Purse’s support.”
Living on More than Vegetables
In addition to helping Vira fill her pantry, Samaritan’s Purse ensures that Vira gets spiritual food as well. The pastor of a partner church travels roughly five hours from another area near the frontlines to organise weekly meetings in a small tent for Vira and her neighbours.
The hotbed Samaritan’s Purse provided Vira is already trapping the sun’s heat to help cabbage plants grow.
“We come together, we pray, we read the Bible, and we feel that we are not alone,” Vira said.
Since 2025, Samaritan’s Purse has supplied more than 1,800 seed packages and over 1,000 gardening tool sets to people who were uncertain how they would feed their families in the midst of conflict. Supply chains, infrastructure, and farming are disrupted so groceries don’t always make it to stores in smaller neighbourhoods.
“This programme provides vulnerable families in frontline regions with the means they need to tend their vegetable gardens and grow their own food after losing homes, loved ones, jobs, and a sense of security,” said Yevheniia Hrushyna, a Samaritan’s Purse staff member.
“For many Ukrainians living in remote villages, this is far more than physical assistance, it is a reminder that they are not forgotten. This support has a deep spiritual impact, expressing God’s love in a tangible way and bringing comfort and hope in difficult times.”
Please pray for Ukrainian families who are struggling to survive as the war continues. Please pray that they would not only have bumper harvests but also develop a personal relationship with the Creator. Please also join in their prayers that peace would come soon.
*Name changed for security.
Samaritan's Purse is providing food, clean water, and items such as solar lights and agricultural supplies to suffering families in Ukraine. We are also providing medical care to those in need. Partnering with local churches and others, we work in Jesus' Name to bring this urgently needed relief to people in areas of conflict.
