Kormotech is a global company based in Ukraine. It has two production facilities for dry and wet food for cats and dogs. One of the company's social projects initiated back in 2014 includes helping pets affected by Russian military aggression.
In early March, shortly after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kormotech launched the Save Pets of Ukraine initiative. It has created a center that collects information and helps solve the problems of pet owners, zoo volunteers and shelters. Among the issues addressed is food, medicine, logistics, etc.
In 23 days, the initiative received more than 2,500 inquiries, most of which are about the pet shops. People want to know which shops continue operating in their cities and whether it is possible to buy and deliver food. It also gets requests for help from zoo volunteers and shelters, many of whom are stranded and in dire need of humanitarian assistance. They make more than 1000 requests from the total number of appeals.
Kormotech's team managed to fulfill 700 requests so far. The company has provided 166 tons of pet food. Humanitarian aid was sent to hotspots.
Thousands of pets in Ukraine need help every day. It remains impossible to supply pet products to Mariupol, Berdiansk, Dniprorudny, Kherson, Melitopol, Kramatorsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv due to constant shelling, armed hostilities and siege.
Besides food, our initiative often receives requests for veterinary drugs, pet carriers, cages and even transportation fees for safe evacuation of animals. Save Pets of Ukraine needs resources to help with all sorts of requests. Please join at savepetsofukraine.kormotech.com
“Helping animals is a priority for the Kormotech team. Our initiative is approached not only by pet care volunteers and shelters, but also by pet owners who can't afford food for their pets and it's not the money, it’s about more than that. We are expecting humanitarian aid from abroad, as the amount of food for pets in Ukraine is already scarce,” says Rostyslav Vovk, Kormotech CEO.
U-Hearts International Fund
The U-Hearts International Fund was created to support the needs of pets in Ukraine. To succeed in its mission, the fund needs financial support. Kormotech created this fund in Europe to implement social initiatives in line with its mission to develop a culture of animal welfare. The war became the catalyst for its activity. The fund is committed to its principles of transparency and integrity. Money raised by the fund is used to buy feed produced by Kormotech, neither of those producers who continue their business operations in Russia and thus support the aggressor.
The fund has partnered with a few American organizations, such as Greater Good Charities, Phillips Pet Food & Supplies, The American Pet Products Association (APPA), Pets Around the World and Matrix Partners.
According to Liz Baker, CEO for Greater Good Charities "This new coalition around Save Pets of Ukraine will help raise urgently needed cash donations to purchase medicine and supplies in countries nearby, as well as source food and product donations for longer term relief."
The most requested items that Greater Good is working to provide are:
· Pet food for cats, dogs, birds, rodents and other pets
· Supplies, including collars, leashes, muzzles, cages and carriers
· Medications for animals
Support the initiative financially https://greatergood.org/savepetsofukraine
Updates on the pet food market in Ukraine
According to the company, currently no pet food is imported to Ukraine. Prior to the full-scale invasion of Russian troops, Kormotech covered 30% of the Ukrainian market. Currently, due to difficulties at the borders, there is a risk of acute shortages of food and animal products. The residual stock from the distributors' warehouses is sold off, and new arrivals are so scarce that they cannot cover the needs even partially. Pet stores, veterinary clinics, online stores, supermarkets struggle to keep their shelves stocked.
Due to limited traffic in hot spots, Kormotech cannot deliver pet food to some cities and even regions. Many destinations are life-threatening, and drivers refuse to go there. The company is looking for solutions every day on how to deliver pet food together with other humanitarian aid.
