Louisville effort helps deliver lifesaving medical supplies to Ukraine: Teddy bears for hospitalized children included in shipment

Press Release

A 40-foot shipping container filled with nearly $300,000 worth of medical equipment has reached Ukraine — and a group of Louisvillians played a key role in getting it there.

The shipment, now in the hands of Ukrainian healthcare workers in the Dnipro region, was coordinated by SOS, a Louisville nonprofit that specializes in redistributing surplus medical supplies. Working with detailed lists provided by Ukrainian medical staff, SOS filled the container with surgical tools, infant warmers, IV pumps, baby bottles, syringes, and other essential items.

While much of the fundraising began in Scranton, Pennsylvania, through the efforts of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Rotary Club of Scranton, the Louisville connection is what turned the idea into a full-scale international shipment.

That connection came through Bernie Strenecky, a Louisville resident originally from Scranton, who suggested partnering with SOS due to their expertise in global medical aid. From there, Louisville’s St. Luke’s Episcopal Church stepped up to raise local funds. The Prospect-Goshen Rotary Club collect stuffed animals for hospitalized children in Ukraine. The United Nation Association’s Kentucky Division arranged for students in North Oldham High’s Interact Club, which is sponsored by the Prospect-Goshen Rotary Club, to attach uplifting messages to each of the stuffed animals to raise to spirits of the children who will receive the stuffed animals in Ukraine.

At SOS headquarters, volunteers and staff worked to maximize every inch of the container’s space, carefully preparing the shipment for overseas travel. Before it departed, Rev. Benjamin Hart of St. Luke’s in Louisville joined Rev. Myron Myronyuk of St. Vladimir’s via Zoom for a blessing of the shipment and all those it would help.

Now that the supplies have arrived in Ukraine, doctors and nurses are using the supplies to treat patients and comfort newborns.

Organizers say they’re just getting started. Plans for continued support are already in the works, with Kentuckians and Pennsylvanians alike committed to long-term partnerships.

To support future efforts, donations may be sent to:  UNA-USA KY Division; c/o Christine Richards, Treasurer;  238 Eastover Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601.  (Make checks payable to UNA-USA KY Division, with “Ukraine Relief” in the memo line.)