A pair of volunteers dug into the items — scalpels, skin staplers, stitching equipment — carefully packing and labelling them in boxes bound for the next available flight to eastern Europe.
Hanna Tatsenko and fellow volunteer Marta Zybko are trying to figure out a way to get the items to Poland, which neighbours Ukraine. Tatsenko has worked in logistics both in Canada and Ukraine while Zybko has worked in finance.Both women had a phone to their ears constantly during a recent visit to the church. Zybko has been trying to coax different organizations, foundations and levels of government to help to offset extremely high air freight costs.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 3.7 million refugees had fled Ukraine as of Thursday, with another two million displaced within the country. “We collect the information from different regions in Ukraine; we work with volunteers. We’re trying to concentrate on what is a necessity: stitching materials, blood-stopping medications, bandages.”
Experts who study humanitarian crises say balancing cash and goods is important when it comes to sending aid, because it helps avoid waste, as many items often aren't used. The need for goods can change quickly and cash offers charitable organizations more flexibility to meet needs. The city's Ukrainian churches are calling on donors to instead give survival goods useful in a war zone: medical equipment, non-perishable foods, feminine hygiene products, batteries, insulated drink containers and thermal clothing.