Members of three congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered March 5 at their meetinghouses in Whitehall, Pottstown and Reading to accept and pack donations for Ukraine.

The effort started via a Zoom meeting just shortly after the Russian attack on Ukraine began. Bishop Hyrum Lefler, of the Reading congregation, had previously served a church mission in Poland and wanted to organize an effort to help those fleeing their war-torn cities in Ukraine.

Lefler asked Sarah Stapley and her daughter Emma Stapley, of the Exeter congregation, if they would like to be involved since Emma had recently returned from a church mission to eastern Ukraine. Sarah Stapley invited Ukrainian native Anastasia Mead, from the Pottstown congregation, to the brainstorming meeting. Also attending the meeting were Karen Redford, the president of the Reading congregation’s Women’s Relief Society and head of the effort in the Reading area. Lanae Duersch, of the Pottstown congregation, headed up the effort in her area.

Mead was able to find an organization taking aid to Poland, then across the Ukrainian border. The Paul Chester Children’s Hope Foundation was sending medical supplies and humanitarian aid to the families in Ukraine with their Polish counterparts and gladly agreed to accept the donations.

The foundation’s first plane was leaving early the following week, so the organizers knew they had to act quickly. They immediately got the donation list to all of the 13 congregations via an email and social media posts, inviting church members, friends and members of the community to donate the needed goods.

“When I dropped off my donations to the Whitehall meetinghouse, what I saw were busy, smiling, happy people - all doing the Lord’s work,” said Peggy Shafer, the church’s local director of communication.

In total, 429 boxes were packed to the brim with 9,086 pounds of hygiene items, nonperishable food, bedding and baby and medical supplies.