Ludlow church continues to supply Ukraine with donations as they face harsh winter

LUDLOW, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - One local church is in constant communication with people living in Ukraine as the war with Russia rages on. They have already sent hundreds of packages filled with donations, and they are currently preparing for another shipment ahead of the holidays.

Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ludlow is working hard to collect donations to send over to Ukraine. They said that some donations are needed now more than ever as the country struggles with their electrical system amid frigid winter weather.

As war with Russia rages on in Ukraine, relief efforts are underway here in the Bay State.. The people of Saints Peter And Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church have not stopped thinking about their relatives back home.

“We talk everyday I’d say, a couple times a week,” Father Andriy Krip told us.

They have already sent hundreds of boxes filled to the brim with donations.

“We’ve shipped close to 900 – it’s 845 packages and 33 are ready to go – so, 900 packages,” Father Krip said.

Now, they are working on sending more. They said that their help is needed now more than ever. Father Krip told Western Mass News that he is communicating with his friends and relatives back in Ukraine, who describe the terrible conditions there.

“When the missiles fly over your house, or over your head, and you just pray it doesn’t hit close to you so it doesn’t kill you,” Father Krip said.

Russian missiles have knocked out their electrical grid, which means there is little to no heat as people deal with the colder winter months.

“Difficulty with water, heating, light, but somehow, they manage,” Father Krip told us. “They say, ‘We are not going to surrender, we are not going to give up.’”

They are still asking for the public’s help as they try to do their part for their home country. In just a few days, they expect to send off the shipment overseas, which could take weeks to months before it reaches Ukraine.

You can find the list of donations needed on the church’s Facebook page.

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