Steve Parker is 54 years old. He is an ex-serviceman who, before the war in Ukraine, was a owner of Boxers Barbers in Wickford, lived with his girlfriend and her daughter, had a dog and lived a happy, peaceful life. He became a volunteer in March 2022.
Together with a group of like-minded people, Steve helps Ukrainians affected by the war. The barbers shop led by Steve Parker quickly became “Boxers Barbers 4 Ukraine”. Now it is a hub and drop off point for the donations needed to take to Ukraine. Behind him are 8 trips to Ukraine, sleepless nights, tons of humanitarian aid and many grateful eyes.
In an interview with “Truthful Reporting”, Steve talked about his motivation, work already done and future plans.
How did you feel when you first heard the news about the beginning of a full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine?
During my history with the British Army, I served in the war in Bosnia where Serbian invaders committed mass genocide. My memories of that were brought alive again by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And something inside me told me: “I must do something!” I don’t like to see anybody being attacked, especially good, nice people. I don’t like to see women and children being thrown out off their homes, having bombs, dropped on their villages and houses. And that’s why I decided to help.
Did you go to Ukraine on your own?
I decided originally that I would just go to Ukraine with one vehicle. But so many good people came to me with many-many donations and many humanitarian products. So we had to take 16 vehicles with 32 drivers.
What do your family think about it?
They worry about me. My girlfriend and her daughter are afraid for me when I go into Ukraine. But they understand that my heart must help Ukraine.
Did you work with some charity?
Yeah, we worked with people inside Ukraine. The first contact that we had was from a company called “Voices of Children”. They were set up after the annexetion of Crimea in 2014 to help the refugees and children. So we helped those people first, and then we made more contacts to help more people later on.
What was the most difficult part of what you did?
The journey to Ukraine. The problem was the length of the drive between the UK and Ukraine. It is a long way away. And it’s hard to be driving long hours.
What type of work did you do when you got there?
We were providing generators for power, powerbank chargers, we were supplying food for everybody, we were also distributing medical equipment for the hospitals and thermal winter clothing for men, women and children. And we were supplying all different kinds of humanitarian toiletries, such as shampoo, shower gel, those kind of things.
Where do you get the items that you take there?
I have many friends who know that I am helping Ukraine, so they come to me and bring their donations and I take them to Ukraine. Many people supported our initiative. And every week more people are bringing more and more items. So for one whole year now I have been helping Ukraine and the people are helping me. Since the beginning of March 2022, we have raised huge sums that helped pay for 100 tons of aid that was delivered directly to Ukraine.
Where do you usually stay in Ukraine at night?
We don’t have one location because we don’t go to just one town. Sometimes we can stay in the basement of a church, sometimes we can stay at a military base, sometimes we stay in somebody’s house if they invite us. It just depends where we go and who can provide accommodation.
How long do you stay in Ukraine usually?
Only 24 hours because of the time it takes to drive from the UK to Ukraine. And then we also have to drive all the way back to the UK, so we only stay for one whole day.
Which towns have you visited?
Already, I’ve been to Ternopil, Khyriv, Lviv, Kyiv, Bucha, Irpin and also to Borodianka. I have many many friends there now. I believe for the rest of my life I will have friends in Ukraine.
What was your impression from what you saw there?
Two weeks ago was my eighth visit to Ukraine and second to Borodianka. My first time was April 2022, 3 weeks after the russians left that town and I saw for myself the bombed out buildings. It was horrible. It was one of the worst sights anyone can see. And when we provided humanitarian aid for this people they were very grateful to receive the help and happy to see us. I wish I could see this town without the war.
Will you be going to Ukraine again in the near future?
Yes, my next job is to take packages of aid to soldiers. I am going to give them shoes, some more clothing for the winter, generators, power inverters, medical supplies, oxygen bottles, re-breather masks and much more food and humanitarian aid.
What impressed you most when you visited Ukraine?
I think who impresses most are the people of Ukraine. I like the way their strength, their heart, and their desire not only for peace, but how they are defending their country. I love this about the Ukrainian people. I am sure that soon we will go to Ukraine to celebrate the victory. My friend Tetyana has already invited me there.
You can support «Boxers Barbers 4 UKRAINE» with this link. Your donation will help them fund more trips and buy more things for people in need.
