Many charities, volunteers, celebrities, and even huge companies decided to help Ukraine and all those millions of refugees fleeing from the war-ridden country. You know what they always say “even the smallest donation counts,” and they’re absolutely right.
Here are some of the biggest and most unexpected donations that will keep people warm and fed.
1. Citizen Brick’s LEGO Zelensky with Molotov
The retailer of the famous Danish designer, Citizen Brick, has recently released a unique limited edition mini-figure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, equipped with lots of Molotov cocktails that you can buy right now! Oh, wait, they’re all out, sadly. Luckily, all the proceeds from this fun toy will go towards helping the victims of the Russian war in Ukraine. The Citizen Brick company created this LEGO exclusive specifically for this charity event. You could get your own little President Zelensky and some Molotov cocktails with the flag of Ukraine for 100 bucks. On March 17, Citizen Brick reported that they sold out all the figures of Zelensky and Molotov cocktails and collected more than $145,000! The entire amount has now been donated to Direct Relief, a charity specializing in providing emergency care worldwide.
What about the official LEGO company? They also responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by cutting off supplies to its Russian stores and donating £ 12.3 million in humanitarian aid through the LEGO Foundation.
2. Epic Games and Fortnite
Ever heard of Fortnite? Most likely, you have, even if it was in passing or in regards to some dumb Internet meme. The game is an undefeated champion among youth, earning literal billions of dollars worldwide for their developers — Epic Games. With each new season, people are dumping insane money into in-game cosmetic items, and usually, it’s not worth the effort. But This time, it’s different because the studio will direct all the proceeds generated from the new season of Fortnite (from March 20 to April 3) to humanitarian aid to Ukrainian citizens. Taking into account that it is played by over 400 million people worldwide, it’s easy to predict that the final donation will be massive. After only 24 hours, they already gathered over $ 36 million. As of March 23, the official number is at $ 50 million!
3. Humble Bundle
Humble Bundle is one of the most charitable companies out there. They always have plenty of games, books, software, courses, and comics bundles at the ready, helping people all over the world. Their latest behemoth of a bundle is no exception. The “Stand with Ukraine” bundle includes over 120 items, most of which are, of course, games. And they’re not some “who cares” titles either: Back 4 Blood, Metro Exodus, Slay the Spire, the new Spyro trilogy, Fable, and countless more are all waiting for you for the low-low donation of $40 (but you can give more if you want to). All proceeds will go to humanitarian relief efforts, and as of March 23, Humble has raised $ 14,479,707. This amazing fundraiser is ending on March 25, so hurry up and get a little something for your charitable donation.
4. Itch.io games bundle
If you thought 120+ items was a lot, wait till I tell you about the itch.io bundle that ended recently and raised $ 6,370,427.20. This truly ginormous pack had 998 downloads, including games, TTRPG books, music, and more. Granted, most of the games were indie gems, but you could really get a bang for your minimum donation of $10. The itch.io bundle donated all proceeds to the International Medical Corps and Voices of Children.
5. Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher
Famous Hollywood actress Mila Kunis, who has deep Ukrainian roots, and her equally famous husband Ashton Kutcher continue to transfer million after million from their own pockets to help Ukraine. A week ago, the couple announced a humanitarian fundraiser and had already raised over $30 million. Mila Kunis will be transferring all the funds raised on humanitarian aid to Ukrainians.
6. Leonardo DiCaprio
Leo DiCaprio joined the ranks of Hollywood philanthropists who support Ukraine with more than just thoughts and prayers. The actor has been helping international environmental organizations for many years but does not talk about his donations on social networks. Recently he dished out $10 million to help the citizens of Ukraine. Perhaps his Ukrainian roots run deeper than we’d thought, as DiCaprio’s grandmother is from Odesa.
7. Joanne Rowling
Harry Potter author Joanne Rowling also supported Ukrainians financially. The writer transferred 1 million pounds to the children of Ukraine. Some say she’s trying to fix her PR status, but we think a person doesn’t need to have an ulterior motive to help kids.
