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Port Washington Portview Church Ukraine donations shipped in June
Members of a Port Washington church are doing their part to help those in Ukraine.
PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. - Members of a Port Washington church are doing their part to help those in Ukraine.
All month, the Portview Church has been collecting tangible goods. They are just a couple of weeks away from shipping overseas, hoping to make a difference.
"We are missing the city that we spent so much of our lives in," said Paul Pierquet.
Pierquet and his wife, Christine, called the city of Kyiv home for 15 years.
"We left six months ago, not knowing it was going to accumulate into something like this," said Pierquet.
Back in Port Washington, only one thing is on their mind: Helping their friends and those displaced after Russia invaded Ukraine
"They have been internally displaced from their homes, and they are just trying to live day-to-day, trying to survive," said Mitch Lueck, executive pastor.
Portview Church jumped into survival mode, collecting lifeline items – things like diapers, canned goods and hygiene products.
"It's neat we are able to help someone halfway across the world in a tangible way," said Lueck.
"We feel like this is an opportunity of a local church in a small town to just step up and say, ‘Hey, we can play our part,’" said Pierquet.
"To think there's a mom, there's a child who needs the diapers, who needs that equipment to be able to do the normal things of life," said Lueck.
People from all walks of life have stepped up to lend a hand.
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"So many people have gotten involved," said Pierquet. "Some people we don’t even know how they heard about us are just stepping up."
As the Pierquets gear up for the first shipment, they're staying in touch with those overseas.
"We are in constant contact with our friends in Ukraine, so of course, they are excited for the shipment to get there as soon as possible," said Christine Pierquet.
"My goal is, at the other side, for them to take pictures of these items here and say, ‘Yes. These are the items that have come here,’ and to give stories of where it's going," said Paul Pierquet.
The first shipment is expected to go out the first week of June. The journey will start in Chicago and end in Poland.