TOLEDO, Ohio — Ohio U.S. Senator Rob Portman just wrapped up a bipartisan trip to Poland with other senators.
"It was a very powerful trip. We talked to a lot of refugees as they were coming across the border," Portman said.
The Republican senator from Ohio says emotions were high on his visit to Poland, not only hearing about the destruction in Ukraine but seeing how the war is impacting families.
"On the surface, people were crying and asking us for more help, talking about their homes being destroyed and their family members being left behind," he said. "It was almost all women and children, some were grandmothers with grandchildren, in fact."
Portman says almost every person he talked with said their male family members stayed behind to fight.
"It's very difficult for those families obviously. It's frustrating that we can't do more to help them. I do commend the people of Poland and other neighboring countries for what they have done," he said. "They really opened up their homes, literally, to these people."
As the co-chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, he is pushing for more to be done to help Ukraine, especially by providing more ammunition and better equipment to protect their country.
Meanwhile, here at home, the organization Toledo Helps Ukraine is doing what it can to help.
It has recently partnered with local resettlement agencies to help refugees who make their way to our area from Ukraine.
"Living, transportation, employment, education, healthcare and other needs of the refugees. We will be right there to help make this process more efficient," Toledo Helps Ukraine cofounder Alona Matchenko said.
She says a few families have already made their way here and are looking for housing.
They expect more to come as Russia continues its attack.