What started out as a group of individuals meeting online has turned into a globally-connected nonprofit dedicated to providing needed wartime supplies to Ukraine.

Connecting through the online chat forum Reddit, Ukraine Front Line, Inc.’s President, Steven Watford, 29, met what became the nonprofit’s board of directors.

Watford, a resident of Sachse, said he met Anders Boyd, Robin Rohrback and Dax Martinez-Vargas and the four agreed to form a grassroots fundraising effort to contribute to Ukrainian troops defending their country from a Russian invasion.

However, Watford said that he was not content with the idea of sending money to a large nonprofit organization that contributed to the widespread aid efforts that began after the Feb. 24 invasion. Ukraine For Life filed for 501(c)3 status with the Internal Revenue Service in April and has held the designation since that month.

“We wanted to be more involved and make a direct impact on Ukraine as opposed to donating to a big charity and hashtagging,” Watford said.

To Login to read the full story or to subscribe, visit https://publisher.etype.services/Murphy-Monitor