Pittsburgh foundation donates $100K to Ukrainian relief

A Pittsburgh foundation has donated $100,000 to help transport desperately needed medical and other supplies to those who have fled war-torn Ukraine and those who remain under siege by the Russian army.

Eden Hall Foundation has donated $100,000 to Brother’s Brother Foundation of Pittsburgh’s North Side to help pay to transport more than 72 pallets of life-sustaining pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, relief items such as hygiene kits and blankets and other supplies from Pittsburgh to Warsaw, Poland, and Bucharest, Romania.

The foundation decided Sunday to make the donation, said Sylvia V. Fields, president of Eden Hall Foundation.

“We saw what was happening. You need to respond as soon as possible. There is a tremendous refugee crisis … with women and children moving towards the Polish border,” Fields said.

The supplies donated by Allegheny Health Network will be directed to those remaining under fire in Ukraine and the estimated 1.5 million refugees who have fled to Poland and Romania to escape the Russian invasion. Brother’s Brother is hoping to send those supplies to the Ukraine later this week and is trying to finalize the arrangements to make sure it goes where it is needed, said Ozzy Samad, president of Brother’s Brother.

Giant Eagle Inc.’s donation of medical supplies will be shipped, to be followed by humanitarian donations as needed, Brother’s Brother Foundation said. A multitude of generous corporate and individual donors have helped provide relief supplies for the Ukrainians, Samad said.

“This is only the beginning of our relief efforts,” Samad said.

The donations to the Ukrainian relief fund organized by Brother’s Brother and Pittsburgh Technology Council, which includes a $25,000 donation from health insurer Highmark Health, had topped $300,000 as of Monday afternoon, topping its initial $250,000 fundraising goal, Samad said. A few hundred individuals have donated to the relief aid and it was processing contributions Monday from about 450 new donors that were made through credit cards, Samad said.

“It’s absolutely amazing. People are voting for what they think is right … spending money where their thoughts are,” Samad said.

Brother’s Brother also has supported mobile medical clinics and medical teams in Ukraine.

”We are also exploring in-country partnerships to ensure that these refugees have access to basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter,” Samad said.