Vans Donated By Downers Grove Church Helps Ukrainians Evacuate

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — When Christian Worship Center in Downers Grove started wiring donated funds to Ukraine last week to help refugees in the war-torn country, Pastor Peter Kucher felt like the assistance was just a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed.

Now, a week later, money donated by the church’s 200 members and other Downers Grove residents has totaled more than $32,000, Kucher told Patch on Wednesday.

The funds have allowed two minivans to be purchased in Ukraine. The vehicles are being used to transport residents out of the war zone and to safety.

Kucher, who grew up in Lutsk, Ukraine, has remained in regular contact with his sister and her husband, who work in Ukraine as pastors. The family has been overseeing efforts to move refugees out of Kyiv and closer to the Polish border, where they can find safety.

The church is donating 100 percent of funds that are contributed and is covering bank wiring fees so that the everything that's donated can be sent directly to Ukraine for use there, Kucher said.

The Downers Grove church is about 10 percent Ukrainian and has more than 25 countries represented in its congregation. The church continues to send regular financial contributions to Ukraine. In addition to the two minivans being used to transport refugees, donated funds have been used to buy livestock, which is then butchered and used to feed refugees as groceries remain a limited commodity in Ukraine since the invasion by Russian forces began.

“It has been quite amazing to see so many people from the community call, email, donate and rise up to help Ukraine,” Kucher wrote in an email to Patch on Wednesday. “There have been literary hundreds of people evacuated from war zone thanks to these efforts and funds. We will most likely never meet those people, and they might not get a chance to say thank you. But I am sure they will forever remember these days, and the help they’ve received.”