DALLAS — Jenya Teplitskya knew she could be doing more for her home country of Ukraine from thousands of miles away.
She came to the states from eastern Ukraine in 1996. She left her home country when she was 15 years old. She keeps up with her cousins daily just to make sure everyone is alive and well.
She knew she had an entire warehouse to utilize as operations manager at Surplus Building Materials in Farmers Branch.
"It's not easy to feel helpless," said Teplitskya.
Her home country is in the throes of war and she has felt every emotion lately or "all of the above," as she characterizes it. She is organizing a supplies drive to help Ukrainians on the ground.
People have already started to bring supplies to the store before the eight-hour drive on Saturday, March 12. She's already received first aid kits and gloves, and even food. She has made a wish list with the items they are in desperate need of.
"For a long time I felt more American, but at this moment I feel united with my Ukrainian people," said Teplitskya.
Nataliya Shtanyuk is doing something similar. Her family is from western Ukraine, and she's president of the Ukrainian Culture Club of Dallas. Since the club does not have a physical office, supplies are being dropped off at Ukie Style Embroidery Art in Dallas.
"It's a normal human feeling to feel like you don't do enough," said Shtanyuk. "Before we can help those people, we need to save those people."
Shtanyuk stresses the need for trauma first aid. She says small bandages are not going to save lives.
She says the items that are most helpful right now are wraps, splints, IV transfusion kits and mostly items you'll find in hospital and military stores.
Teplitskya and Shtanyuk say funds are desperately needed to transport the supply boxes to the East Coast, then on to Europe and to the ground in Ukraine.
Nataliya estimates the cost of sending one ton of supplies is roughly $5,000 to $6,000.