Twice Displaced: Ukrainian Refugees Find Support at Feeding San Diego’s Marketplace

It’s a sunny afternoon in Sorrento Valley. Viktoriia, a Ukrainian woman now living in the U.S., watches as her parents entertain her three-year-old son. They’re waiting to enter Feeding San Diego’s Marketplace to shop for no-cost produce and pantry staples. Her parents have only recently arrived in the U.S. as Ukrainian refugees and are living with Viktoriia and her family. Suddenly faced with two extra mouths to feed, Viktoriia turned to Feeding San Diego for help keeping her family fed.

Starting Over… Again

In 2014, Viktoriia, along with her parents, lived in the eastern part of Ukraine. She owned her own home and had a job as an English teacher. Then, Russia occupied two regions of Eastern Ukraine, and she fled with her parents and her eldest son. They moved to Kharkiv, a major city that was peaceful at the time.

“We lost everything,” Viktoriia shares. “Our houses, our jobs, we were using help from Ukraine as refugees.” Over time, they all rebuilt their lives in Kharkiv. Viktoriia found a job as a translator and met her husband, who is an American. Together, they moved to the United States in 2018, and Viktoriia gave birth to her second child.

Viktoriia (center) with her parents and 3-year-old son in the Feeding San Diego Marketplace

“Then the war started. Everything started from that big city, Kharkiv, where my parents used to live. So, it’s the second time for them,” Viktoriia explains. She tells us that her parents were trapped in Kharkiv when the war started. “They were sitting underground for a month. It was crazy. Finally, they started moving out. They had a car, but it was old, and there were problems with the motor. It was like a 10-day trip through Austria, and then they finally went to Germany.”

After they made it safely to Germany, her parents lived in a volunteer-run refugee camp for another month. Viktoriia tried several different ways to get them to the U.S. safely.

“I wanted them to come through Tijuana. There was a program open for Ukrainian refugees. Unfortunately, when we had already bought tickets for them for the 29th of April, they closed the program on the 23rd. We were told to give the tickets back. There was no point. They would just get stuck at the border, and nobody would let them come.”

Safe But Unsupported

Viktoriia’s parents finally found safe passage to San Diego through the Uniting for Ukraine program. Unfortunately, arriving in the U.S. didn’t mean they were out of the woods. Neither of her parents speak English, and Viktoriia has been fighting an uphill battle to get them the services they need.

“They’re trying their best, but how are they supposed to live?”

“It’s complicated because it’s new,” Viktoriia says about the Uniting for Ukraine program. “The country is big, and nobody knows about this program, about the medical benefits, the social security, the work authorization. We applied the first week after they got here, but they say it might take 12 months to get work authorization for them to work legally. They’re trying their best, but how are they supposed to live?”

Until they can sort out the program, Viktoriia’s parents are living with her. However, going from a four-person to a six-person household has stretched their budget. “Me and my husband have the house, but still, we need help financially. So that’s why I started researching and looking for some extra help. And that’s how I found you.”

Connecting with Resources

Viktoriia found the Feeding San Diego Marketplace through Nova Ukraine, a non-profit that offers humanitarian relief and resources for Ukrainian refugees. She visits the Marketplace whenever she can to pick up food for her family.

Viktoriia’s son helps with the shopping

“I’m trying for healthy foods, so when we come, I usually take cereals, fruits, vegetables, and because of the kids, milk. All that’s always necessary in our house. It helps a lot. I didn’t know about it, but since we’ve started going to the Marketplace, we found out about those open markets you have,” she said, referring to Feeding San Diego’s large-scale drive-through distributions that are open to everyone in need. She has also started spreading the word to others. “We had several meetings that were made for Ukrainian refugees, and I was telling people about you and your location.”

Moving Forward

Despite all that they’ve gone through and the issues they’re facing, Viktoriia remains optimistic. “It’s better that they’re here already. They’re safe, they’re alive, and so we’ll figure out something.”

Viktoriia and her mother with the food from the Marketplace

Feeding San Diego’s Marketplace is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 AM to 2 PM. Community members in need can shop for produce, frozen protein, and pantry staples at no cost. Wednesdays are reserved for those picking up orders placed on OrderAhead. In addition, Feeding San Diego offers food assistance throughout San Diego County. You can find more information about our distributions on our Find Food map.