Evergreen Park, Orland Park parishioners donate supplies, money for Ukraine relief efforts
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The movement to help Ukrainians at home is growing.
On Wednesday, parishioners at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Evergreen Park are sending supplies and money to the war-torn country.
The effort is led by Father Benedykt Pazdan who grew up in Poland near the Ukrainian border. He said he was inspired to help by one of his seminary classmates who directs a charity aiding refugees in their hometown.
"The need is not just going to end overnight. We hope the war will end soon and we pray for peace," Pazdan said. "But we realize that the need is going to continue to be there."
St. Bernadette parishioners have raised $55,000 and gathered 600 boxes of supplies to send to refugees and an additional $70,000 was raised by the near-by St. Francis of Assisi Church in Orland Park.
Midwestern generosity is expanding internationally. Several police departments in Iowa are donating tactical supplies, including 146 helmets and more than 700 ballistic vests to Ukraine. The equipment comes from 18 different law enforcement agencies in the state.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said the gesture is one small way they can show Ukrainians that Iowans support them. The state is working with the Consulate General of Ukraine in Chicago to coordinate the donation.
