TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Lithuanian Red Cross recently used Taiwan’s donation of US$1 million (NT$30.29 million) to provide stored-value shopping cards for Ukrainian refugees.

The charity organization estimated that Taiwan's financial aid could benefit nearly 2,500 Ukrainian refugees, mainly women, children, and the elderly unable to earn a living, CNA reported.

The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania pointed out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) allocated US$1 million to the Lithuanian Red Cross from the more than US$30 million donated by Taiwanese.

At the invitation of Kristina Meide, Secretary General of the Lithuanian Red Cross Society, Taiwan envoy to the Baltic nation Eric Huang (黃鈞耀) went to the organization's Ukrainian refugee relief center in Vilnius to hand out the stored-value cards. Each card has 130 euros (NT$3,924) stored in it and they will be given out over three months.

Cardholders can buy food, medicine, stationery, and other daily necessities in designated shopping malls. Each person is limited to one card per month.

Huang told the refugees at the relief center that Taiwan donated money out of sympathy for Ukraine's plight and he added he hoped the war would end soon.

In addition to cooperating with the Red Cross, Taiwan also has assisted Ukrainian refugees in Lithuania through Maisto Bankas, a local food bank. MOFA donated US$500,000 US dollars to Maisto Bankas in June to purchase food, which was packaged into bags and distributed across Lithuania.