“My business partner texted me, “There are explosions.” I turned on the global news and that was probably the first time I heard the name of my city, Kharkiv. The next thing I knew, a flood of text messages and calls came in. Most on the other line were in disbelief. It seemed like everyone was in denial with what was going on” – recalls Stan Plyako.
First there was shock, then there was action.
Ukrainians woke up to horror on February 24, 2022. News of bombs and shootings poured in from across the country like a massive waterfall – and there was no end in sight. Today, we are getting through these devastating events together, and each of us is finding individual ways to help. Since the beginning of the war, Stan and his team have been packing and delivering medical and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine on behalf of Omnis Foundation.
Omnis was originally founded in 2014. The teams in Dallas, Portland, and Boston had to amp up established operations to meet this demand. As a result, nearly 100 pallets of medical supplies were sent to Ukraine – in less than three weeks. The beauty is that there are people willing to help and our partnerships with hospitals like Baylor Scott & White Faith in Action, Baylor Surgical Care, Harvard Medical School, Mass General, Northeastern, Tufts and its partners, along with Surgical Care of Carrollton, Horizon Surgery Center, Live Oak Surgery Center, and others willing to contribute. Our volunteer group has expanded to meet the urgent need. During this critical time, new volunteers have joined and new connections were made with medical centers. There are permanent drop-off points for donation boxes and where people of all ages stop by with diapers, children’s clothing, and other items for the little ones. It is humbling to see people turn to us as a trusted organization.
Help comes from unexpected places.
“It does something to your heart when you see the places you grew up in destroyed and captured in public media. You want to help. You want to do something,” – said Yelena Goldshtein.
Like many, Yelena had a strong urge to do help and came to Omnis through a referral. She spent the days driving around all corners of Dallas-Ft Worth, packing her van tight with medical supplies and goods for the children. For Omnis, it is important that the deliveries in Ukraine are direct. We established a reliable and trusted network in Ukraine to collect and distribute the supplies that are independent and are focused on local hospitals and care centers in need. Working together as one united Ukraine makes the impossible possible.
Coordinating and transporting any goods into a war zone is quite an undertaking that requires a lot of helping hands. There is a specific list of goods for donations, based on demand – one for medical supplies and one humanitarian aid. As an example, a lot of requests come in for wound treatments, water purifiers, blood clotting supplies, syringes, painkillers and so on as often first aid happens on the go. For the kids, the most needed items are winter gear, diapers, and blankets since the temperatures there are still close to freezing.
Before shipping, the necessary supplies must be collected, sorted, organized, and packed with appropriate labels created. One of our volunteers, Katya Kulinich, drove around the entire metroplex to pick up donations and spent the evenings with the family sorting IVs, gauze, medications, and other medical supplies.
After the boxes are ready, we have designated dropoff locations where boxes get loaded onto pallets and sent to Ukraine. Everyone’s efforts have made a huge impact on the lives of people affected by this war. These efforts are truly incredible.
Medical and children’s donations must carry on.
The Ukrainian people are living through a humanitarian disaster. Millions of lives continue to be at risk. It is hard to predict when the war in Ukraine will end.
A volunteer born in a U.S. military family, Maddie Turk, said it well: “When you are in the military you expect to go into a war. The mindset is different. Here, innocent people woke up one day under attack. That is shocking. Everything that you expect to be there is no longer there. Any morsel of certainty is gone.”
The people in Ukraine rely on the support to carry them through today and tomorrow. In every crisis, there is the aftermath and the rebuilding phase. When it comes, we will be here. We were here in 2014, we are here today, and we will continue to be here until this is over. Truly over.
Most days it is hard to find words for the horror that is happening in Ukraine right now. For all of us that are here, we are trying our best to stand by our people that are there, living through this war. Please consider supporting our cause. All contributions will directly support the Ukrainian people.
The ways to help:
1. Donate directly to our cause
2. Buy items from Amazon Wishlist
3. Drop off medical supplies or humanitarian aid at one of our centers:
Dallas: 3238 Towerwood Drive
Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm
Please contact us at [email protected] for donations in Portland, Houston, or Boston.
Слава Україні! 🇺🇦
Glory to Ukraine!
