UPS sends thousands of pounds of supplies for Ukrainian refugees

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Thousands of pounds of relief supplies are on their way to help people caught in the refugee crisis in Poland.

On Tuesday, UPS transported about 45,000 pounds of humanitarian relief for Ukrainian refugees from its Worldport air hub in Louisville to Warsaw, Poland.

A UPS 767 was loaded with multiple pallets of relief supplies. Things like medical goods, food and water purification equipment. The shipments will go to agencies helping with the growing refugee crisis resulting from the military action in Ukraine.

Louisville-based SOS International is one of the shippers. SOS International is a global health nonprofit and has been sending aid for the past four weeks.

“When our first shipment arrived, our partner on the ground called me crying,” Denise Sears with SOS International said. “They were so overwhelmed with emotion that here in Louisville, here in the U.S., that we would care so much about what they are going through that we would work so hard to respond.”

Examples of medical supplies that are being sent include wound dressings, oxygen supplies, crutches, masks, and gloves, just to name a few.

Several other organizations are helping, including the Salvation Army, World Food Programme, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere.

There are UPS logistic experts on the ground helping with the distribution of all of the aid to make sure it all goes to where it needs to go.

“UPS has made strong efforts ever since this crisis began developing,” UPS spokesman Jim Mayer said. “This particular effort is a total of 80 metric tons, but even prior to this, we have moved 56,000 coats, a million meals, four million dollars worth of medical supplies.”

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