In Korosten, food aid becomes affordable shopping, not a handout
A more sustainable model
Free aid feeds people, but over time it hollows out the local economy.
Ukraine is one of the world's breadbaskets – yet, after years of war and deepening poverty, millions of Ukrainians now need basic humanitarian assistance, food first of all.
Free food distributions answer the emergency, but over time they replace the local market and deepen dependency. Drawing on the experience it gained supporting people affected by the war, Ridne developed a food-security programme it believes is more sustainable than traditional distributions – one that opens a path from one-off relief toward long-term social support for vulnerable people.
Transitional model · Dignity & choice · Local economy kept alive
A model that supports people without taking the local shop's place.
How the card works
A card lets vulnerable residents shop for quality food well below retail.
At the heart of the model is a simple instrument: a card. Socially vulnerable residents who receive it can buy fresh, quality food at a special price – well below the shops – and receive free legal and psychological support alongside.
The card covers a monthly grocery kit, with canned goods and household goods at the same reduced price; the discount is funded by an international partner.
The model is piloted in Korosten, a small town in Zhytomyr region, run together with the "Ray of Love" charity and the Korosten City Administration.
Card-based · Quality food · Free legal & psychological support · 30–50% below retail · Partner-funded discount
What it's done, and where it goes
The pilot is proving a model Ridne can stand up across Ukraine.
In its first four months, the Korosten Social Center put quality food within reach of the town's most vulnerable residents – food they chose and bought for themselves, at a price they could afford, rather than received as a parcel.
The pilot is built to be repeated: a documented model and a training base, so the same Social Center can open in other communities across Ukraine.
- 1500 Social Center cards were distributed to socially vulnerable people
- 2300 food kits were distributed for a special price
- 6200 retail food items were distributed for a special price
- 636 sanitary hygiene items were distributed for a special price
- In general, 2400 socially vulnerable people in Korosten received this kind of food support through our Social Center
- 152,000.00 UAH was saved by people thanks to Social Center program
