Dmytro, Mykola and Maria Petriv outside their home in Ballycasey, Shannon Photograph: Joe Buckley
A SHANNON FAMILY have raised €10,000 to help the people of Ukraine while the people of the town and surrounding areas have rowed in behind areas to support the eastern Europe country.
Twenty five year old Dmytro Petriv led the way by launching an appeal on social media to help raise funds to aid the people of Ukraine buy protection and medical equipment in the wake of Russia’s invasion.
Originally from Lviv in Western Ukraine, Dmytro has lived in Shannon for the past fifteen years and is a past pupil of St Patrick’s Comprehensive School and now works in Chemifloc.
His grand-parents and cousins remain in Ukraine with the Petrivs ringing them daily for updates, “they are okay as we’re closer to the Polish border, there isn’t as much of a panic at the moment but it is getting closer”. The move by Vladimir Putin was one of “pure aggression and greed for land, it is just about power,” he maintained.
In an attempt to help the people in their home country, Dmytro and his parents Mykola and Maria decided to act. “My father collects parcels going to Ukraine every month, he used to anyway but he can’t send any parcels now because there is no one to take them across the border so the only way to help is collect funds, buy protective gear and help the people to get food”.
Between them, they have managed to raise €10,000. “I’ve raised just shy of a thousand euro, I put a thousand euro in myself, my parents raised €8k. Every little helps, some people are giving a tenner which to some might not seem much but back home this is a lot,” Dimi told The Clare Echo.
He is accepting donations via Revolut to 0852007497 and is also willing to meet people in person if they want to help their efforts.
Goodwill has been evident throughout Shannon with over two truckloads of donated items departing the Airport town on Monday evening. What started as an idea floated on social media transpired into an amazing show of solidarity by the people of the town and surrounding communities such as Sixmilebridge, Newmarket-on-Fergus and Cratloe.
Shannon Leisure Centre set up tents and offered up space so that volunteers had a base to organise themselves from with the public chipping in with donations of clothing and food, local companies such as DB Schenker, Mentor Graphics and Thermoking supplied boxes, packing supplies and offers of transport while Don Murphy of Smitz Café and the local Lidl store gave food and donations.
Co-founder of Love Shannon Community Council, Niamh O’Callaghan admitted, “this is the whole of Shannon pulling together and I couldn’t be prouder to be from Shannon”. She acknowledged the efforts of Eimear McNamara, Karl Fogarty and the growing number of volunteers involved. “It is terrible and horrific what is going on but it shows you what Shannon is, it really does, there was cars pulling up and I’d say will continue to pull up with people so eager to help”.
General Manager of Shannon Leisure Centre, Karl Fogarty described the response of the people of Shannon and surrounding areas as “first class”. He was blown away by the unity on show, “from the people who gave up their time and donated stuff, the people asking questions on how they could help, individuals who were liaising with their companies and trying to give supplies. It’s one of those things where everybody helped in some way, by everybody helping in a small way, it went from an idea to a full-scale project, it happened so quickly and organically”.
