SOUTH DEERFIELD — As Ukrainian supplies dwindle in the face of the continued Russian invasion, the Rev. Andriy Krip has spent the last few days preparing boxes full of supplies as part of his church’s community donation drive, which has already yielded dozens upon dozens of shipments ready to be sent to the besieged nation.
“We feel that we need to do something over here,” Krip said in between rips of packing tape. “It’s difficult to sit and watch what’s going on.”
Krip is the pastor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Church on Sugarloaf Street in South Deerfield and of the Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ludlow, where he is coordinating a donation drive to supply Ukraine with essential medical supplies that will be used to treat wounded soldiers, civilians and children.
Medical supplies the church is seeking include, but are not limited to, the following: first aid kits, tourniquets, bandages, Vaseline, anti-burn hydrogel, braces, Tylenol and ibuprofen. Non-medical supplies — which the church requests be separated from medical supplies — sought include food like energy bars, crackers and pretzels, warm blankets, sleeping bags, socks, gloves, diapers, baby wipes and children’s clothes. Krip said the churches are not accepting adult clothes.
For a full list of supplies requested, visit the Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church’s Facebook page at bit.ly/3MFm4g0.
Items may be dropped off at the Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Church at 44 Sugarloaf St. in South Deerfield.
The church is also asking for monetary donations to offset high shipping costs. Checks can be mailed to 44 Sugarloaf St., South Deerfield, MA 01373 or put in the church’s dropbox. Krip requests that people notify the church at 413-583-2140 if they mail or drop off a check in South Deerfield, as he is there only on Sundays. Alternatively, checks can be mailed to the Ludlow parish at 45 Newbury St., Ludlow, MA 01056.
Krip has several family members still living in the city of Zhokva, a small city about 20 miles north of Lviv.
He said shelves are empty across Ukraine as the humanitarian crisis grows and that any sort of help, even if it doesn’t arrive in the country for several weeks, will be very beneficial to those suffering.