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Collection efforts for Ukraine brings volunteers from several organizations together

Natalia Golub volunteers at InterVol building first aid kits to send to Ukraine. Golub immigrated to Rochester from Russia with her parents as a child. Her father is originally from Ukraine.
Max Schulte
/
WXXI News
Natalia Golub volunteers at InterVol building first aid kits to send to Ukraine. Golub immigrated to Rochester from Russia with her parents as a child. Her father is originally from Ukraine.

Collections continue at several sites around the Rochester area to help people impacted by the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

The organization InterVol, based in Irondequoit, is dedicated to providing unused medical supplies and equipment to those in need around the world.

Nicole Jones Senftleben is executive director of the non-profit, and said that most commonly, InterVol has collected supplies needed after a natural disaster. But in this case, Jones Senftleben said they also need supplies that will help wounded military personnel.

“Not only are we dealing with individuals who are displaced, but now we have soldiers. And so there is definitely a medical need to get the right medical supplies to them,” said Jones Senftleben. “Whether they are blood bags, clotting gauze, (there are) some really important things that we’re actually trying to procure from different vendors so that we can include it in our shipments.”

Mariya Kilchevska is from Ukraine, and was among the volunteers helping out Thursday at the InterVol collection site off Kings Highway in Irondequoit.

“Every person needs our help and our support, and it’s very difficult…cities completely destroyed and I cannot even imagine how difficult it can be…very difficult to describe,” said Kilchevska.

Natalia Golub was born in Russia, and her father is Ukrainian. She came to the U.S. when she was eight-and-a-half years old. Golub, who was also helping sort and pack items on Thursday for InterVol, said that she’s just glad to be part of this volunteer effort.

InterVol is a Rochester, NY non-profit that provides unused medical supplies and equipment to those in need around the world that has a Ukraine relief effort under to set medical supplies and personal care items for the refugees.
Max Schulte
/
WXXI News
InterVol is a Rochester, NY non-profit that provides unused medical supplies and equipment to those in need around the world. It has a Ukraine relief effort underway to send medical supplies and personal care items for the refugees.

“I can spend money on a vacation or I can spend money on something else, but I don’t need any of those things right now,” said Golub. “The people in Ukraine are suffering, that are sitting there in bomb shelters or are walking in freezing temperatures with their babies for over 20 hours, whatever I can do, whatever I can save, whatever I can donate should be going to them at this point.”

Jones Senftleben said that InterVol has different sites all over Rochester that are collecting the donations. Some are at Rochester General Hospital and its affiliated hospitals. You can find more information at intervol.org.

Members of the support group ROC Maidan at theUkrainian Cultural Center of Rochester, the Ukrainian Federal Credit Unionand members of St. Josephat's Ukrainian Catholic Church are spearheading efforts to ship supplies to neighboring Poland.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.
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