Connecting Michiganders with Victims of War

One Box at a Time

Boyd Byelich enjoys sharing his passion for his humanitarian work with audiences. Conversations about the human aspect of war and the devastation Byelich has seen on the ground, fuel his need to return to Ukraine again and again.

He said, “For those who have listened to me talk, I think they now have a much deeper and more realistic understanding and awareness of what things are actually like in many parts of Ukraine - from destroyed villages and bridges to apartment buildings in big cities hit with missiles - to people I know there who have lost their homes and family members to the war.”

Byelich, a USDA district conservationist and farmer from Alcona County Michigan, experienced a strong calling to go to Ukraine in 2022 to help refugees leaving Ukraine at the start of the war.

Within three weeks of this revelation, Byelich traveled to Krakow Poland to volunteer at a refugee center for two weeks. While there, he also worked at a World Central Kitchen for several days serving 2500 meals daily. He learned from these refugees of the need to get clothing and supplies to war victims living outside the larger cities.  

 After his return to the U.S., Byelich organized a group called One Box for Ukraine that allowed people in Michigan to donate clothing and get it to those in need. They expressed their concern that their donations of money, clothing, and supplies would actually get to the people who need them. Byelich stepped up for the mission and set up a network in Poland and Ukraine to insure this would happen, and he saw firsthand the impact of the donations.

This began the advancement of his many trips to the region. He said, “What has transpired for me has far exceeded my wildest imaginations. Poland and Ukraine were never on my bucket list, and to look back over the past 20 months and all that I have been able to be a part of, it has been the most meaningful period of my life. I'm also proof that a 60-year-old can get involved with humanitarian efforts like this, start a non-profit, and help people in ways that most of us never thought we might.”

Along the way, Byelich has led a movement with many partners - churches, civic organizations, schools, and hundreds of private donors - to collect and ship clothing and other supplies to Ukraine. He has created a network of other humanitarians who receive the shipments and parcel out the donations or wait for his return to the region to transport the goods himself.

Byelich embarked on his 6th trip to Krakow and his 13th trip to Ukraine in December of 2023.