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MIAMI (CBS4) – As the war in Ukraine rages on, the humanitarian crisis faced by millions of Ukrainian refugees grows larger.
On Sunday members of a local church came together to make a $10,000 donation to help in the response effort.
“My daughter is asking 100 times a day when we leave to go back home,” said Ukraine native “Christina.”
She was among those who fled the country in fear of her life and is now being helped by the Miami-based non-profit Global Empowerment Mission (GEM).
“Of everything I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lot, this is by far the most treacherous, the hardest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Micheal Capponi, the founder of GEM.
He’s been overseas trying to help provide aid to Ukrainians since the war began.
“It’s not getting better, you have to imagine like a category 10 hurricane that is never stopping, it’s just like hovering and getting worst by the minute”, he said.
The situation has created a vast need for aid and in the past two and a half months GEM has been working to get people the resources they need, so far providing thousands of pounds of pallets filled with food and supplies.
“People that live, for example, in Mariposa, they barely made it out and they’re on the outskirts of the border there, they haven’t had food in weeks, and giving them water and bread for example is a lifesaver,” said Capponi.
To help keep those supplies going where they are needed, during their Easter Sunday Church Service, Unity on the Bay made a $10,000 donation to the non-profit.
“We are so grateful for Unity, a ten thousand dollars donation is a lot, it pays for two containers to bring supplies,” Capponi said.
In addition to supplies, those funds will also be used to help relocate people like Christina.
“I just want to say thank you very much to Global Empowerment Mission and be strong for helping me reunite with my family in Spain and now my daughter is safe,” said Christina.