Bethenny Frankel Has Her Own Strategy For Helping Ukraine
Bethenny Frankel has closely been following the situation unfolding in Ukraine ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin began his invasion into his neighboring country during the early hours of February 24. Just like the rest of the world, the former "Real Housewives of New York" star took to her Twitter account to share her concerns about the matter, writing, "Waking up to these horrible images from Ukraine is so unsettling. The world has been in a state of unrest for so long & has faced so much struggle these past few years from natural disasters to a pandemic to war...it's truly defeating. This is a crisis where I feel helpless."
Since then, Frankel hasn't wasted a second in helping refugees trying to cross the border from Ukraine to Poland with her BStrong initiative, an organization that has partnered with the nonprofit Global Empowerment Mission, which helps with natural disaster relief in all corners of the world. Frankel's BStrong has sent aid to Texas after the state battled power and heat outages in February 2021, per Page Six, and even sent over teams to help battle Australia's bushfires in early 2020 as detailed by the Daily Mail. With that said, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Frankel now has her own strategy for helping the people of Ukraine.
Bethenny Frankel has pledged to donate even more in aid for Ukraine
In an interview with TMZ Live, Bethenny Frankel said that her "efficient and lean" strategy has helped raise $16 million dollars in aid for Ukraine in only a week's time. Donations are currently being boxed in her BStrong warehouse in South Florida and are being prepared to be sent to Ukrainians fleeing their country for a safe haven in nearby Poland, according to People. The business mogul told the publication that the kits contain items that people would need immediately and that many of the donations are coming via partners such as Goya, Delta, and Away.
Frankel explained that, "European countries are going to have to take in refugees, and Poland is already experiencing people coming in now. So it's the ideal place to set up," and added that, while she's already managed to collect millions in aid, more will be on the way. Frankel added, "And aid has to be fully distributed, and money allocated to a certain disaster relief effort has to be fully distributed. So it's a long process. It's not a one-and-done thing."
With that said, there's no doubt that Frankel puts the "real" in everything she does, whether she's a housewife or not.