Multiple, separate drives across Metro Detroit gather everything from tactical gear to clothing, food and medicine to ship overseas
HAMTRAMCK — In the three long weeks since Russia invaded the sovereign country of Ukraine, igniting a humanitarian crisis growing at a rate not seen since World War II, worried citizens across Metro Detroit have organized collections for aid and supplies to be sent to Ukraine, ranging from domestic needs and medical supplies to tactical gear.
To count the number of efforts taken up for Ukraine in Metro Detroit — organized by churches, schools, businesses or within residential homes — would be nearly impossible; as southeast Michigan rallies for Ukraine, one would have a hard time not finding a place to donate.
Jordan Fylonenk, communications lead for the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee of Michigan, which has been instrumental in raising local awareness about the crisis, said churches, groups, organizations and individuals are making efforts on their own.
“Our goal is to get the supplies over to who needs them most right now, and we'll do that in the most efficient ways possible and as quickly as possible,” Fylonenk said.
At St. Mary’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Southfield, Vera Petrusha is helping organize a drive specifically for children in Ukrainian orphanages, alongside an organization called UCARE — Ukrainian Children’s Aid and Relief Effort.
“Our goal is to get (aid) into Ukraine, but as everyone can see, the logistics are very challenging,” Petrusha said. As of now, her contacts can still get donated items into Ukraine from bordering countries, but Petrusha noted that even if donations have to stay in neighboring countries like Poland, they are still helping people in need.
“The refugees are coming out of Ukraine with just the clothes on their back,” Petrusha said. “I do know that some of the children (in orphanages) are being taken into western Ukraine for shelter, and so we're trying to reach all of those individuals.”
The drive at St. Mary’s will take place from March 21-26. Petrusha said her contacts in Ukraine say the children are most in need of over-the-counter medicine.
“They're in desperate need of that because, in pharmacies and the stores, everything is out,” Petrusha said.
Petrusha added that while monetary donations help, the greater need is for physical items.
“It’s harder to purchase items in Ukraine now. It's also very dangerous for people to get out and go shopping and trying to locate items,” Petrusha said. “(In some areas) there's no aid getting in; there are no trucks coming in with supplies to repopulate the pharmacies and stores.”
In Warren, St. Josephat Ukrainian Catholic Church has been working alongside Dnipro, the Ukrainian shipping company located across the street from the parish, to ship items to Ukraine, pastor Fr. Emilian Dorosh told Detroit Catholic.
“If anyone can help with anything like monetary donation or medical supplies or even items like warm fleece coats, thermal underwear, hiking boots, long socks or pillows or sleeping bags, bedding or yoga mats, candles, even working gloves, safety eyewear and so on, you can find the list on our church website,” Fr. Dorosh said. “Whoever can help with anything, we will really appreciate, and we will pray for you, and we will pray for Ukraine and especially for peace in Ukraine.”
Collections and awareness efforts have extended outside of the Ukrainian community and into parishes within the Archdiocese of Detroit. During the first weekend following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, St. Aloysius Parish in Detroit began to collect supplies to send to Ukraine.
Like with many Ukrainian aid collection efforts, at St. Aloysius, it started with a distant contact. Beth Allison, the parish engagement coordinator, linked up with her friend’s neighbor, a Ukrainian man, to begin collecting supplies at St. Aloysius that he would then arrange to get to Ukraine by way of Poland.
At her priest's suggestion, Allison pitched the idea to their Family of Parishes, Renaissance Vicariate Family 1, which also includes the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Mary (Greektown) Parish in Detroit.
“We shared it on social media, and then from there, we've had a really amazing response to it," Allison said. "We have different high schools and grade schools and other parishes that are kind of helping in the effort.”
Word spread, and Allison has received donations from numerous groups, including confirmation students at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, St. Aloysius Neighborhood Services, St. Aloysius Parishioners and Friends, All Saints Catholic School in Canton, St. Joseph Parish in Trenton, St. Cyprian in Riverview, Sacred Heart in Grosse Isle, FOCUS Missionaries with Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry, and the Capuchin Services Center.
Allison said the parish became so overwhelmed with donations, they had to refer some groups and parishes to donate on their own accord. Allison’s connection is currently on the ground in Poland after working with a Polish airline that pledged to fly supplies into Poland to be brought into Ukraine by land.
“He was just telling me, ‘I'm personally going, and the airlines said that I could bring as many suitcases as I wanted,’” Allison said. “He said, 'They shouldn’t have told me that, because I am going to fill up as many suitcases as I can.’”
Initially, Allison’s contact was running the collection from his garage, but thanks to a community contact, he was soon able to begin funneling supplies through a Ukrainian-owned company in Hamtramck, Standard Trucking, which is now working with numerous groups to collect and transport items into Ukraine. Fylonenko said the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee of Michigan is also sending items through Standard Trucking.
Nazarii Semchyshyn, who is coordinating the effort with Standard Trucking, said volunteers have been sorting the donated supplies so everything goes where it is most needed –– tactical supplies go to the military, medical equipment to the Red Cross, and so on.
"We’ve been doing this since the second day of the military crashing in Ukraine when Russia first attacked,” Semchyshyn said.
At first, most donations came from Ukrainians, but after media coverage and word spread, Semchyshyn said people outside of the Ukrainian community began donating.
Supplies can be dropped off daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and until 6 p.m. on Sundays, Semchyshyn said. “We are planning to stop receiving donations as soon as a conflict stops, or, at least, we're not going to receive any more tactical and military supplies,” to make room for humanitarian supplies, including diapers and first aid.
Petrusha said the need won’t end when the war ends.
“We need lots of prayers, and hopefully, this war will end soon, and we'll be victorious, and then we'll need a lot of help rebuilding,” Petrusha said.
Donations for Ukraine
Many parishes, schools and nonprofits throughout Metro Detroit are organizing supply drives for Ukraine. Relief supplies can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and until 6 p.m. on Sundays at Standard Trucking, 13400 Girardin St, Hamtramck, MI 48212. For a (non-comprehensive) list of suggested donations, visit the website of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Warren. To donate funds, see the list at the bottom of this article.
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