When Amy Bryson heard Russia had invaded Ukraine, she said she felt “helpless and heartbroken,” and she immediately thought of her sister-in-law from Lviv, Ukraine.
“That’s her family, friends, and where she grew up. They’re wonderful, warm people,” said Bryson, who lives in Bangor. “We watch it on the news and we’re lucky enough that we can change the channel and forget about it, but they’re going through that nonstop.”
Bryson’s sister-in law, Anna Stasiv, who works as a nurse practitioner in Portland, began gathering donated medical supplies to send to her community in Ukraine and asked for Bryson’s help.
So Bryson, who also works in the medical field, reached out to local hospitals and posted a call for donations on Facebook. She said the response has been “overwhelming and heartwarming.”
She’s one of a number of Mainers stepping up in some way to help Ukraine as it comes under relentless attack from neighboring Russia. Bryson’s efforts have so far led to shipments of more than 16,000 pounds of medical supplies — including bandages, gauze, rubber gloves and tracheostomy tubes — to the nation under attack.
“People are going out of their way to help people they don’t even know who need help right now. It’s heartwarming to see that generosity from the people of Maine,” Bryson said. “Knowing Anna and her family and their traditions, they’re no different from us. They’re people with family values, love of country, and just want what everyone else wants.”
Lviv, a city near Ukraine’s border with Poland, had been spared from Russian attacks until Friday when Russia launched a missile strike on the city, CNN reported. Initial reports suggest six missiles were included in the strike, several of which hit an aircraft repair facility in Lviv, according to the news outlet.
Bryson said Mainers have donated whatever clean, unopened supplies they had on hand. Alcohol-based items like antiseptic wipes and hand sanitizer have been among the donated items. However, they cannot be shipped overseas because of their flammability. Bryson said she donates anything she can’t send to local organizations.
After Bryson ran out of space to collect donations in her home, Changing Seasons Federal Credit Union in Hampden offered to set up a donation drop-off in the lobby. Showcase Self Storage in Brewer donated storage space for the supplies before they’re shipped.
A friend of Stasiv’s, who is also from Ukraine but lives in the U.S., traveled to Poland after the Russian invasion began to receive the medical supply shipments. She then crosses the border and distributes the donations in Ukraine.
Bryson said she has already sent two shipments of medical supplies in the past three weeks. The first shipment contained 11,000 pounds of medical supplies. The second contained 23 pallets of supplies, each weighing anywhere from 250-500 pounds, donated by Partners for World Health, a Portland nonprofit that collects medical supplies and equipment from U.S. hospitals and sends them overseas to facilities in need.
Bryson’s sister-in-law is also running a GoFundMe online fundraiser with a $20,000 goal. More than 180 people had donated as of Friday afternoon, exceeding the goal. The money raised covers the cost of shipping the donations to Poland and buys supplies that can’t be shipped.