Boxes of donations are overflowing at St. Mary Protectress Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Volunteers bagged items dropped off by community members preparing them to be sent to Ukraine on Wednesday.
Church volunteer Volodymyr Polusmak said they are trying to ship out donations as fast as possible.
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The volunteers set up an Amazon Prime Wishlist and were greeted by multiple Amazon employees throughout the day dropping off boxes of goods.
They received: clothes, food, baby products, helmets, sleeping bags, first aid kits, and more.
Those items are meant for soldiers battling to keep the Russians off Ukrainian land and for others stuck in the country.
Polusmak said he is overwhelmed by how giving people have been.
“We feel grateful,” he said.
It has been one week since Russia invaded Ukraine unprovoked, causing terror and panic.
The war is forcing Ukrainians to flee their homes, they are seeking refuge in other countries.
“It’s terrifying, it’s terrible, it’s terrible what’s going on I would never believe it could ever happen,” Polusmak said.
Olya Pavlenko left her home and business in Ukraine and is seeking refuge in the United States. She was able to fly into Miami this week, but with nowhere to go she and her daughter stayed in the airport.
Nadiia Hicks said she saw Pavlenko’s post in a Ukrainian Facebook group asking for help.
“We’re refugees from Ukraine we have no place to stay for now please for a couple [of] days, let us in,” Hicks said.
Transportation was arranged for Pavlenko and her daughter to get to Central Florida.
The pair have been staying with Hicks for the past couple of days.
“They worried that they are problems for someone because they understand it’s not their house it’s not their money so yes it’s really hard,” Hicks said.
She assured them they are not burdens. They will be staying with her until she can help them find a more permanent place to live while the war goes on in Ukraine.
Hicks’ mother is stuck in Ukraine, and she hopes someone overseas will help her.
The church will continue taking donations for people in Ukraine. Also, the church doors are open every day at 7 p.m. for prayer.