Los Gatos woman starts shoe drive for Ukraine aid
Russia's invasion of Ukraine hits close to home for Los Gatos resident Olena Fedorova, who grew up in Zaporozhye, Ukraine.
While she immigrated to the United States in 2000 with her husband, most of her family still lives in Ukraine.
“It's devastating. It's really close to heart for me, what's going on in Ukraine. I'm trying to do my best to help with whatever I can,” Fedorova said. “My mom, my aunt, my in-laws, my friends, my classmates, relatives — my whole family is there.”
The war has inspired many Ukrainian Americans to start fundraisers, hold food drives or sponsor refugee housing through Airbnb.
Fedorova said she was inspired to start a fundraiser of her own after seeing other local Ukrainian Americans step up to raise money through bake sales, arts and crafts fairs and other methods.
She is running a shoe drive to raise money for Nova Ukraine, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian relief to the country.
The organization is doing everything from supporting soup kitchens and medical professionals to helping refugees flee the country.
Fedorova will be collecting shoes in Los Gatos at King's Court Shopping Center parking lot at 750 Blossom Hill Road from noon to 4 p.m. on June 4 and June 25. She'll collect shoes at Blossom Hill Park at 16300 Blossom Hill Road from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 15, May 22 and June 12.
She is working with nonprofit Funds2Orgs, which will buy the shoes she collects and donate that money to Nova Ukraine. Funds2Orgs then distributes the shoes through its charity network.
After posting some information about the shoe drive to social media, Fedorova said she's been getting lots of engagement and positive feedback.
“It's an amazing feeling to know that there are people out there who want to contribute, who are willing to contribute, and just to bring the awareness and feel that Ukraine is not alone and there's support from different people,” Fedorova said. “It feels amazing to know the local community is willing to help and support this cause.”
Millions of people have already fled Ukraine, and the military conflict and civilian casualties continue to rise.
Fedorova isn't the only Bay Area local to start a fundraiser or drive to support Ukraine. The San Francisco-based nonprofit Embrace Local is sending incubators for premature babies to hospitals and bomb shelters in the wartorn country.
“My country is on fire, they're at war. Since the war started, it's hard to relax and think about anything else,” Fedorova said. “Everything else became not important. All I think about day to day is Ukraine, and how I can help.”
Fedorova said her family is safe right now, but the situation is unpredictable.
“Every morning my mom wakes up and she writes me a couple of words like, `We're alive, we're okay, we're safe,'” Fedorova said. “Even though my family right now are OK, I am afraid for them every day. I go to sleep thinking about my family. I wake up, that's the first thing I think about.”