Volunteers from Tri-State Area helping Ukrainian refugees in Poland
NEW JERSEY -- A group of volunteers from the Tri-State Area dropped everything to help Ukrainians who are crossing the border into Poland.
CBS2's Meg Baker has their story of bravery and service.
Images from Ukraine show people young and old trying to make their way to safety. They are greeted by a herd of volunteers, including Yogi Trivedi from Long Island, Darshan Patel from Pennington, New Jersey, and Dharmik Sheth from Robbinsville, New Jersey.
They're working with BAPS Charity, which volunteers globally, CBS2's Meg Baker reported Thursday.
"It primarily consists of members of the broader Hindu community," Trivedi said. "We were raised with this idea of selfless service."
They have witnessed mothers with multiple bags of belongings, plus their children, exhausted but pushing on.
"We perform whatever there is needed, whether that's carrying people's luggage, ushering them into Poland, picking up trash," Patel said.
They met an elderly woman who had walked for miles.
"She was trying to communicate with me that her son lives in Canada, and that she has his phone number in her backpack," Patel said.
They were able to get ahold of her son to let him know she was OK. They said they're breaking down barriers between cultures.
"She's probably never even met an Indian," Patel said. "And then here I am coming all the way from New Jersey, of Indian decent, speaking English to her. The love that I was sharing with her, she was receiving it and understanding my sincerity."
The men shared recorded messages of prayers with refugees to let them know there is a world of support for them.
Sheth, who has a 4-month-old at home, had a special moment with some young children. He drew a heart in the sand.
"He understood. He started to draw his own heart," Sheth said. "These are the moments that are going to take home, share with my kid, to explain them not only the struggle, but also what people did on ground and everywhere around them, to provide that level of comfort."