TOLEDO, Ohio — We first told you about Toledo Helps Ukraine and the donation drives it held back in March.
Now, members of the organization, are back from a trip overseas.
Some of your donations have already helped people in the war-torn country.
"The people I spoke with, I don't know if they can comprehend what's happening. It seems like they live day-by-day, hoping for better," Toledo Helps Ukraine's founder Alona Matchenko said.
Matchenko and two other members of the local non-profit just got back from spending almost a month in Ukraine.
The trip was a direct result of multiple donation drives earlier this year, but a big portion of the items had to be shipped.
"We only brought six suitcases with us," Matchenko said. "But mostly, the goal of this trip was to bring funding and finances that we've been collecting here in Toledo and implement that into purchased aid."
In total, she says about $20,000 worth of food, clothes and other items were purchased and delivered to areas in Ukraine that needed the most help.
Part of that money came from the Perrysburg Schools theatre program, all thanks to one international student.
"I know that it's not the same for people there in Ukraine. I can say the same for my family and friends and I just really wanted to find something that could help," Perrysburg Schools' recent graduate, Iryna Snahoshchenko, said.
The theatre director says they raised over $3,000 dollars in four days.
He says he never imagined they would raise that amount or the impact it would make overseas.
"I knew that the audience was going to be generous and I knew that no matter what we raised would be worthwhile. But I was definitely blown away by the response and the encouragement," Perrysburg's theater director, Kory Meinhart, said.
Alona says more donations are expected to arrive in Ukraine and surrounding countries in the next couple of weeks.
She also says Toledo Helps Ukraine is still accepting monetary donations.
You can help donate at this link.