Watching the troubling events in Europe has outraged the world and left so many people feeling powerless, asking, “How can we help the people of Ukraine?” Here in Wilton there are efforts being organized, and we’ve listed some below where you can consider helping if you’re moved to. (We’ve also included links to some national and international organizations too.)

If you have other information about Wilton groups or individuals organizing aid or fundraising for Ukraine, please submit them through our submit a story link. Because GMW is focused on Wilton, we’re looking for efforts with a direct connection to Wilton. [This story will be updated periodically with additional events or requests.]

In and around Wilton

  • Wilton Girl Scout Ambassador Troop 50794 is organizing a collection of goods to Ukraine. Items can be dropped off at 149 Dudley Rd., in the box on the porch, now through Mar. 11. Most needed are medicines (non-prescription) and first aid items, including tourniquets.
  • Wilton Community Outreach, a service effort formed by a group of Wilton High School juniors, is collecting gently used winter clothes to help people in Ukraine. Donations can be dropped off at Trackside from March 6-12. Email WHS student Colin Tsai with questions.
  • Temple B’nai Chaim (82 Portland Ave. in the Wilton section of Georgetown) is holding a Bake Sale for Ukraine, and anyone in the community can participate as a baker or a buyer. Participation (i.e. baking and/or eating) is not limited to members of TBC — everyone is invited to support this bake sale for the people of Ukraine, in a simple (and delicious) way to enrich a Sunday and involve kids in giving back.

Bakers—To Donate Treats: bring individually wrapped treats to Temple B’nai Chaim on Sunday, Mar. 13 between 9-10 a.m. (Ingredient cards, vegan, nut-free, and gluten-free treats are welcomed and encouraged!)

Buyers—To Purchase Treats: come to Temple B’nai Chaim on Sunday, Mar. 13,  between 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Cash only.

One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit The Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield’s Ukraine Emergency Assistance Fund which provides humanitarian support including first aid, basic necessities such as food, medicine and clothing, and medical support, and transportation to bring displaced people to the borders or safe facilities, and temporary housing either in Ukraine or across the border while they wait for shelter outside the conflict zone or to make Aliyah in Israel.

Anyone who cannot attend or bake but wants to support this effort can donate online (select the Tzedakah/Social Action Fund in the drop-down menu). Feel free to note, “In Lieu Of Bake Sale Attendance.” Amounts will be matched.

  • Pawel’s Children Inc. is a 501(c)3 foundation started by a Wilton mother in rememberance of her son, Pawel, after he passed away in 2012. While it was founded to support children attending a school in Rajasthan, India, Pawel’s Children is extending support to schools in Poland, where Pawel was born, that are caring for and educating Ukrainian refugees. The goal is to feed all of the Ukrainian refugees taken in by the school Pawel’s mother, Monika Sywak, attended as a child. According to the Pawel’s Children website, “Just $20 will provide an entire month of hot meals to a Ukrainian child,” and with no organizational overhead, “100% of every dollar donated goes directly to support the education and well-being of children in need.”
  • Wilton residents Sean and Katherine Lentner have been working with friends and contacts in Europe, particularly in Romania as well as Russian and Ukranian friends whose families are trying to get to safety. Starting in late February, they connected with several families in Kyiv and have helped coordinate transport for Ukrainian refugees and getting them to various locations throughout the rest of Europe. Sean traveled to Romania on March 6, to connect with a long-time colleague and friend; they registered as volunteers with a volunteer group (Neamt Civic Initiative and Local Development Association) to help carry out civilian rescues. Katherine started a charitable Fundly account online to help provide monetary aide, medical assistance, food, warmth and rent money to help house as many families as they can. One effort Lentner’s team coordinated has already helped secure a gym with bedding, blankets, food and supplies to shelter 70 families with children and pets. Visit the Fundly webpage that been set up to donate and follow the efforts of Lentner’s team overseas.
  • The Wilton Presbyterian Church Youth will be holding a Donation Drive for Ukrainian Humanitarian Relief on Saturday, Mar. 12 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. outside the Village Market. Donations will support Ukrainian humanitarian relief efforts through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
  • The Lake Club is collecting supplies to be shipped to Poland for Ukrainian refugees the weekend of March 12-13. The Club is collecting donations of the items below on Thursday, March 10 and Friday, Mar 11. Items can be placed in the covered breezeway entrance to the pool. (165 Thayer Pond Rd.) NEW items only.Baby formula
    Children’s instant oatmeal
    Baby bottles
    Diapers
    Diaper cream
    Painkillers/ Tylenol (kids and adults)
    Wipes (kids and adults)
    Underwear (kids and adults)
    Socks (kids and adults)
    Travel mugs/thermoses/reusable water bottles
    Blankets (new or used)
    Mittens/gloves (kids and adults) (new or used)
    Flashlights and batteries (new or used)
  • Ambler Farm is participating in an effort called Farm Friends for Ukraine, joining forces with Lachat Town Farm in Weston and Wakeman Town Farm in Westport to collect urgently needed medical items that will be shipped to the region. They’ve created an Amazon wish list and are asking donors to purchase off the list. Donors can have the items shipped directly to Ambler Farm or shipped to themselves to be dropped at Ambler Farm (257 Hurlbutt St.) or the other two farms. Items must be dropped off or arrive at the Farm by Friday, Mar. 18 at 3 p.m. If dropping off, please unbox any items and place them in the bin with the Blue and Yellow logo by Ambler’s red barn.

Broader National/International Efforts

  • Wilton resident Ulyana Filinskyy, who emigrated from Ukraine has suggested several resources where people can donate. She wrote to us to say, “Thank you so much for writing about Ukraine in GOOD Morning Wilton! We need support and prayers from all people around the world.”
    • Revived Soldiers Ukraine: a well-established 501(c)(3) U.S. charity that has been providing medical and humanitarian help to Ukraine for many years, now working around the clock to deliver medical equipment and supplies, arrange humanitarian aid, and provide medical treatment to injured Ukrainians.
    • Razom: Razom, which means “together” in Ukrainian, believes deeply in the enormous potential of dedicated volunteers around the world united by a single goal: to unlock the potential of Ukraine. Razom works towards that mission. Right now, Razom is focused on urgent medical needs before humanitarian things like clothes, food, toys, etc. They’re accepting monetary donations and also a great resource for other information — places to volunteer, connections to protests in the U.S., links to NGOs and more.
    • Support Hospitals in Ukraine is committed to supporting Ukrainian hospitals with much-needed modern medical equipment and supplies. The organization is partnering with one of the largest US medical surplus recovery non-profits, Project C.U.R.E., as well as numerous NGOs in the United States and Ukraine. Right now, Support Hospitals in Ukraine is trying to fundraise $1 million to send forty 40-foot containers to Ukrainian hospitals in Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and other cities.
    • Nova Ukraine: Established in 2014, Nova Ukraine is one of the few US nonprofits operating in multiple regions of Ukraine. Donations are being used to deliver emergency aid to people remaining in Ukraine, as well as to refugees. Funds help NU deliver food, medical supplies, essential hygiene items, baby care items and clothing. The organization is also providing limited assistance with locating and reconnecting family members who have been separated from their loved ones. On the local front, volunteers are standing by to help refugees arriving in the US.
    • Voices of Children Foundation has been helping children affected by the war since 2015, providing psychological and psychosocial support to children to help them develop and overcome the consequences of armed conflict. Today, during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the organization is providing non-stop assistance to affected children and families from all over the country, providing emergency psychological assistance, and assisting in the evacuation process.
  • Save The Children is a well-regarded, Fairfield, CT-based organization that focuses on helping children in need around the world. They have established a dedicated Save the Children’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund to help that country’s children who have been caught in the middle of armed conflict, forced from their homes in freezing temperatures, and exposed to injury, hunger and cold. Save the Children’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund will help provide children and families with immediate aid, such as food, water, hygiene kits, psychosocial support and cash assistance.
  • The Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund has been started by GoFundMe.org, the website’s non-profit arm. It is raising donations that will be distributed to verified nonprofit organizations helping to provide access to food, shelter, medical services, education, psychosocial support, and other emergency relief costs. The company says it is working with partners including the U.S. Department of State and Global Giving to identify organizations that are providing effective relief now to those impacted.
  • GoFundMe also has a dedicated page featuring verified efforts from around the globe that the company says its “Trust & Safety team” has checked out.
  • The World Central Kitchen is working to help feed displaced Ukrainians as they flee their homes. Now more than two million Ukrainians have fled their homes in search of safety, with many more expected to follow. Working at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland, WCK began serving hot, nourishing meals immediately. Now, WCK has expanded efforts to serve people across the region in Romania, Moldova, and Hungary, and is also partnering with restaurants inside of Ukraine to get hot meals to anyone in need.
  • The International Committee of the Red Cross is responding to urgent humanitarian needs, including having the organization’s water engineers and doctors try to help more than three million people access clean water and improve the living conditions of more than 66,000 whose homes have been damaged by heavy fighting. Donations to the International Committee of the Red Cross help the ICRC remain active in Ukraine, saving and protecting the lives of victims of armed conflict and violence.