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03
Dec 2022
Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: Ukrainian refugees relying on Resurrected Bites for food in Knaresborough
This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is for Resurrected Bites in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Today, Vicky meets a Ukrainian family who have relied on its support this year. Please give generously to support local people who are struggling this Christmas. They need your help.
Andre and Irina left their home near Kyiv after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They arrived in Knaresborough with their two daughters – then aged three and 11 months – in late May.
With few possessions and no income they were directed towards Resurrected Bites. Andre said:
Both he and Irina, who has been a full-time mum since their children were born, have also been learning English as a second language.
Their eldest daughter, now four, is enrolled in a local pre-school and is becoming more settled every day. Her younger sister will, hopefully, sign up after she turns two next year.
Read more:
- Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal 2022: Help ensure nobody goes hungry this Christmas
- Where would you turn if you couldn't afford to feed your family?
The family have been living in rooms at a local pub, arranged through the government’s Ukraine programme, but this was only for six months. They have recently been forced to find a new home in order to continue receiving support from the programme for the next six months.
He said:
Not only have the family been supported by Resurrected Bites, they have also become part of the community at Gracious Street Methodist Church, practising their Christian faith and getting to know others in the area.
Andre has begun volunteering in the community grocery on his day off college, giving back support to the organisation that has helped his family. 
They are permitted to stay here for three years and to find jobs, but those three years don’t count towards any future citizenship application. That would require a further five years in the UK.
The future remains uncertain for them in so many ways. Returning to Ukraine would not be simple either: the population of the capital city is less than half what it used to be and Andre said it took many years to rebuild after the devastation of the Second World War.
Some of Andre’s family members are now living elsewhere in the UK, but Irina’s parents are still in Ukraine. She said:
The family still see Ukraine as their home, but at the moment it would be impossible to return. Andre added:
They are just one example of the Ukrainian refugees living in the Harrogate district who are being supported by Resurrected Bites.
The organisation is a lifeline to people who have fled the war and are trying to build a new life for themselves in the Harrogate district.
Like Andre, many are retraining and hoping to find employment – but the ticking clock of the government’s year-long support hangs over them all.
In the meantime, organisations like Resurrected Bites are ensuring none of them go without food this winter. 
Nobody in the Harrogate district should go hungry this Christmas.
It costs £300 to run the community grocery for one day. Please help to keep it open for everyone who relies on it.
Click here to contribute now. Thank you.
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