Darijo Srna donates 20 tons of tangerines to kids in war torn Donetsk

Warring in the Ukraine has driven Shakhtar Donetsk from their home city. They have had to move to Lviv for the season, where there is more peace, and that is where they train and play their matches. But just because they left Donetsk does not mean that they have forgotten about the city.

The club’s captain Darijo Srna bought 20 tons of tangerines and had them shipped to the city, where they will be distributed to children. At last count, there are 23,143 primary school students in Donetsk and every one should get one of Srna’s tangerines, as well as a card from the player.

“I grew up in Croatia so I also went through a period when I needed help,” Srna said. “Donetsk has helped me a lot and this is just a small gift with which I want to pay them back.”

Things in Ukraine are obviously tenuous, and that’s especially true in Donetsk. It has been a hot spot for fighting, with shelling damaging Shaktar’s now-empty stadium, and tangerines aren’t going to fix things, but they can help. It’s wonderful to see Srna doing what he can to do just that.