“You are my family”: 92-year-old Kharkivian talked about help of Red Cross

“From the beginning of quarantine, I do not leave the house. I follow the news and worry about other lonely people,” – says the pensioner Anna Stepanovna Smykalova. Volunteers and staff of Ukrainian Red Cross in Kharkiv city visited her during the distribution of 519 food kits.

In the past, Anna Smykalova was an active volunteer of the Red Cross in Kharkiv for more than 27 years. Now Anna Stepanivna is 92 years old, a single retiree who is in the highest risk of infection with COVID-19.

“It’s hard to live alone. I have to limit my daily diet. I like to drink warm milk with fresh bread. Unfortunately, now, in quarantine, I cannot buy it,” she said. After receiving the essential necessities of long-term storage from the Red Cross volunteers, the woman expressed her sincere gratitude and narrowly restrained from hugging them. “Thank you for your concern. I receive regular phone calls from volunteers and Red Cross staff, listen to their quarantine recommendations, and report on my health status. You are my family!”