During the week of February 28, 2022, the class of 2024, along with Mrs. Lampman and Ms. Mills organized a collection of items for Ukrainian refugees. East students and teachers were asked to bring in solar lanterns, solar chargers, non-perishable food, blankets, hats, gloves, hand warmers, hygiene items, playing cards, dominoes, sleeping bags, diapers and baby items.

The collection was connected with the local non-profit The Unforgotten Haven. The Unforgotten Haven strives to help the less fortunate by organizing various fundraisers and collections throughout the year. They will pack the East donations in duffel bags that will travel to Poland with various missionaries to aid Ukrainian refugees.

When asked what the motivation for organizing the drive was, Ms. Mills said, “Besides the obvious, that innocent people were/are being harmed and displaced. Mrs. Lampman shared that she has family in Ukraine and I wanted to find a way to honor her family out there.”

Although the drive only collected items for three days, over 500 items were received. The item that people brought in the most were baby diapers.

The missionaries will be traveling to Poland in different groups at different times. The first missionary group arrived in Poland on March 3, 2022.

Overall, the East community demonstrated its kindness and sympathy towards the Ukrainian refugees by their gracious donations.

“[It’s] something small that we can do here that can impact someone’s life in a way we will never know,” Ms. Mills said.

More information about other projects associated with the Ukrainian refugees can be found on The Unforgotten Haven’s website, https://www.theunforgottenhaven.org/.