What can one woman from a faith community in Cherry Hill possibly do to ease the pain of Ukrainian refugees more than 4,700 miles away?
When that one person is Larissa Stefanyszyn-Grover, the answer is clear: load up a pickup truck with hundreds of dollars’ worth of donations intended for Ukraine from compassionate family, friends and neighbors in South Jersey.
“When this whole [conflict] started in late February, I knew I had to do something,” said Stefanyszyn-Grover of Saint Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Cherry Hill, recalling the sorrow she felt upon hearing of the millions of Ukrainians being forced to flee their homes with limited resources. Though the Marlton resident was born in the United States, her ties to the Balkan nation were strong: both her grandfathers were born there, and Stefanyszyn-Grover had been immersed in Ukrainian culture and traditions.
“When I was a child, every Saturday morning I went to Ukrainian school in Jenkintown [Pennsylvania],” she recalled, “to learn the language and culture. I am glad that I went. I still speak the language in my house and eat the food.”
Staff at Saint Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church recommended she direct aid to the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee in Philadelphia, so the young mother reached out to her fellow church members and via social media to various South Jersey Facebook pages for donations. Almost immediately, the local community responded.
“I collected some items and had people dropping things off at my house,” said Stefanyszyn-Grover, a work-from-home technical proposal writer. “Boy oh boy, there were a ton of donations! People kept coming to my front porch, and it looked like we were running a business here.
“There were diapers and wipes and food and clothes,” she continued. “People were calling me and saying, ‘I’m going [shopping] what do you need?’ There were new things with tags still on them.”
“I was shocked and happy,” she said. “It was heartwarming. People are showing they care.”
Her extended-cab pickup truck laden with bounty for Ukraine, Stefanyszyn-Grover drove to the Philadelphia relief center March 4 alongside her assistant – her 2-1/2-year-old son, Nicky.
“He ‘helped’ with the delivery,” she chuckled. Admitting his presence during her act of charity could plant the seed of compassion and national pride, Stefanyszyn-Grover said, “When he gets older, I want the opportunity to teach him Ukrainian ways and the language.”
With one successful collection and delivery achieved, Stefanyszyn-Grover shows no signs of slowing down. She has started a new Facebook group, “South Jersey Stands With Ukraine,” as well as a list of items desired for the next delivery, including protein bars, baby food, first aid kits, sleeping bags, thermal wear, dried food and diapers.
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