Volunteers from “Food for Life” Charity Fund participated in ‘Victory Day’ celebrations in Russia on the 9th of May by distributing three thousand portions of porridge to veterans of the Second World War.

In a forest park by a Moscow river-boat station, participants pushed carts painted in camouflage colors through the crowd of children wearing black-and-orange victory ribbons and retired soldiers wearing field caps with red stars (or from from newspapers, as was done during the war), tarpaulin boots and even full uniforms.

On the main stage, the renown symphony orchestra of Moscow, Russian Philharmonics, directed by Maxim Fedotov (a National Artist of Russia) performed some favorite songs and melodies of the war and after-war eras. On either side, monitors illustrating the feat of common soldiers and workers, women and children on the home front were installed.

The celebration commemorates the Russian defeat of Germany in WWII, and took place in the historic northern part of the city, from which Nazi war forces had planned to invade the capital, but were stalled and repulsed.

In attendance were Oleg Mitvol, the prefect of the northern district of Moscow, and Ivan Novitsky, a deputy of Moscow State Council to meet veterans.

Valery Dolgopolov, the Director of Food for Life, commented that “life is changing fast [along with] the attitude to history and to the people who created this history.” Thus, she appreciated the generous efforts of the local authorities to honor veterans and “the kind attention with which our volunteers prepared for this event notwithstanding the difference in their age, occupation and views.”

“I am sure that each of them knows that peace and unity will remain as long as we do kind deeds,” she concluded. “Veterans teach us even by the mere fact of their existence. Veterans are our living memory of kindness.”