CROMWELL, Conn. — The community is coming together in Cromwell to support mothers and babies in Ukraine.
A couple of dozen volunteers put together emergency care packages Saturday for hospital maternity wards in Ukraine. The items included bottles, medicine, and baby blankets, as well as items for mothers, such as nursing pads.
"With so many women arriving there and having babies almost immediately with anxiety and stress and not having anything with them, I decided to pull this together," said organizer Olena Stetskiv, a Cromwell resident.
It’s a topic close to Stetskiv’s heart. She came to Connecticut from Lviv, Ukraine in 1998.
"Most of my family is there and it’s heartbreaking, of course, to know that they are in a zone of war," she said.
The shipments will go from the U.S. to Poland, and then volunteer groups will transport the packages to hospitals.
Danielle Tencza, who owns Company N’ Tempo, also helped organize the resources. The two mothers met at the performing arts school and worked quickly to send help to Ukraine after the idea sparked.
"2 to 3 weeks ago that it first started so we got the first shipment together, honestly in about five days," said Tencza.
They expect the second shipment is even larger.
“It just kind of exploded and huge response from across the state and people donating, and here we are, making care packages and sending over a whole tractor-trailer load," she said.
Stetskiv is sending out a big thank you to the community and her friends for showing support, donating items and helping pack.
Elisha Machado is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at emachado@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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