LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Communities across Lancaster County banded together on Saturday to help Ukrainians who continue to defend their country against Russian attacks.
“It’s unbelievable how much stuff we have been getting in,” said Wayne McDade, co-owner of Wayne’s Towing in East Petersburg.
The business partnered with the Manheim Township Police Department and St. Andrew Ukrainian Catholic Church for the “Fill the Truck” donation drive.
“If it’s just a little bit of comfort for them…socks, shoes, ballistic vests, whatever we can do, if it’s just a little bit it goes a long way,” said McDade.
“It just makes your heart happy,” said Michele Klinger, a Manheim Township patrol officer who helped coordinate the event. “As a police officer, we want to get out here and help everyone. That’s what we do.”
Donations were collected at various locations across Lancaster County over the past few weeks.
On Saturday, even more items were dropped off by members of the community and everything was loaded up into a U-Haul truck.
Donations included things like dry food, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, socks, and more.
Several local police departments also donated ballistic vests for the Ukrainian military.
“They really truly care about people they don’t even know in another country that are facing crisis right now so it’s been quite an amazing journey for me as a police officer to watch these things happen here,” said Officer Klinger.
“When you see everybody from different walks of life stopping here and donating, whether it’s one box of band-aids or a car full of stuff, everybody is coming together and donating what they can,” said McDade. “It’s a very special thing.”
Cash donations were also collected.
St. Andrew Ukrainian Catholic Church will now work to send all of the donations to Ukraine.
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