ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Members of the convenience and fuel retailing industry are stepping up to help Ukraine as Russia continues its attack on the country.

SPAR International, which operates 65 SPAR supermarkets across Ukraine, has set up a unique SPAR Ukraine support fund to assist SPAR Ukraine financially to procure products locally from existing sources of supply.

SPAR International is also working with SPAR colleagues in neighboring countries to establish a supply of essential goods for distribution to SPAR Ukraine’s distribution center located 100 kilometers inland from the Polish border.

“With the ongoing escalation of the war, and the prospect of the local supply chains being further impacted, it is essential to ready the ability to maintain supply from our operations in neighboring countries,” wrote SPAR in a statement. “We are very grateful to our SPAR colleagues in those markets for their readiness to support.”

“We are truly inspired by the courage, determination and commitment of our colleagues in Ukraine to continue to care for their communities. We will continue to do what we can to support them,” said SPAR.

Meanwhile, bp CEO Bernard Looney announced that bp is donating $20 million contribution to Ukrainian relief efforts, including:

• $10 million in charitable donations—$5 million to the International Red Cross and $5 million to UNICEF to support children and families.
• $5 million in food and fuel cards to be distributed at the Polish border by bp retail teams working with our NGO partners.
• $5 million of support across Poland, Hungary and Romania working with local aid organizations to help keep people safe.
• Matched funding by bp’s charitable organization, the bp Foundation, will be available to bp staff with more details to follow.
• Paid time off for bp employees in Poland and Hungary as they volunteer to support refugees.