Laura Allen will relay her time delivering food to war-torn Ukraine at Okanagan Gleaners

Photo: Contributed

Laura Allen, left with Ukraine flag on shoulder, helps deliver soup mix that was made in the Okanagan to residents of war-torn Ukraine.

Recently returned Okanagan resident Laura Allen will be sharing her experiences in handing out food in embattled Ukraine.

Allen, with Shelters International Disaster Response Society out of Kelowna, will be speaking at the Oliver Okanagan Gleaners, 507 No. 3 Road, Friday at 11 a.m.

“Laura has just returned from war-torn Ukraine where she was involved in distributing aid to residents struggling with food security. Come and hear first hand stories from someone who has been at the front lines of this conflict,” said Greg Masson, Okanagan Gleaners general manager.

The Okanagan Gleaners are based out of Oliver and produced millions of meals a year that are shipped to some of the most destitute parts of the world.

Allen witnessed first-hand the impact those meals are having when she helped deliver the soup mix to villages only two kilometres from the frontlines.

“One older woman came out of her house and yelled 'They found us.' We are important. I cried. Then we gave them all food,” Allen said in a message to the Gleaners. “We found areas that had not seen help since the beginning of this war.”