Ukrainian Relief Fund launched by United Way of Palm Beach with $100K from two island couples

Seeded with two $50,000 matching grants from two island couples, the United Way of Palm Beach has launched a Ukrainian Relief Fund to support refugees who have fled their country in the wake of Russia's invasion.

Palm Beach residents Bill and Phyllis Mack, and Jeff and Nicola Marcus have offered a combined $100,000 challenge gift to help kickstart the fund. Each couple will match donations dollar-for-dollar.

“It is truly heartbreaking to watch what these women and children are going through,” Jeff Marcus said in a prepared statement.

“Wives and kids saying goodbye to their husbands and dads and leaving behind the only life they’ve ever known. Mothers walking for hours holding their babies while dragging suitcases through rain and snow.

"Nicola and I are touched by the determination and spirit of the Ukrainian people and we want to do our part to help these refugees as they escape the Russian invasion. We hope others will open their hearts and help us raise funds for food, medical supplies and other basic necessities,” Marcus said.

Calling the situation in Ukraine "devastating,” Bill Mack said that "millions of people are being displaced because of the violence. It’s tragic. They need support now and will continue to need support for months and years to come.

"Phyllis and I encourage our Palm Beach neighbors to donate to the Town of Palm Beach United Way fund to help provide life-saving relief to those who need it most.”

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, with its leader Vladimir Putin citing as his reason the "denazification" of Ukraine's government. The attack has drawn widespread global condemnation and crippling economic sanctions that have cratered Russia's economy and turned the country into a pariah state.

But its soldiers continue to advance in Ukraine, seizing a city in the southeast on the Black Sea, and taking over a nuclear power plant in the country's south that is the largest such plant in Europe. The invasion of Ukraine has sparked a huge exodus of people to the west, with 1.45 million people as of Friday entering countries such as Poland and Romania as they flee the Russians.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Thursday that "in just seven days, 1 million people have fled Ukraine, uprooted by this senseless war.

"I have worked in refugee emergencies for almost 40 years, and rarely have I seen an exodus as rapid as this one. And unless there is an immediate end to the conflict, millions more are likely to be forced to flee Ukraine," Grandi said.

In accordance with the United Way mission of mobilizing the caring power of communities to support the common good, the Ukraine Refugee Fund will help address this urgent and growing humanitarian crisis, the organization said in its release.

Immediate funds will be used to support Chef José Andrés' World Central Kitchen and Americares, United Way said. Both organizations are providing food, medicine, medical supplies, relief items and emergency aid to refugees fleeing Ukraine.

Aleese Kopf, director of marketing and communication for United Way of Palm Beach, said they had received several inquiries from residents wanting to know if the organization was doing anything to help the Ukrainians and where they should donate.

The United Way previously set up narrowly focused funds for COVID-19 relief and for Hurricane Dorian relief.

Because the charity's focus is local, a fund for Ukraine relief "wasn't necessarily something we would do, but since we had so many donors call, we kept it on our radar," Kopf said.

When the Macks and Marcuses offered the match, the organization moved to set up the fund since there were several other people it knew who would be interested in contributing, Kopf said. World Central Kitchen and Americares were chosen as recipients after careful research into which groups had boots on the ground and were actually providing aid, she said.

"We felt comfortable that they were there doing a lot of work right now," Kopf said, adding "we do expect the fund to surpass $200,000 so we expect that we will be continuing to find other nonprofits."

To donate to the Ukraine Refugee Fund visit www.palmbeachunitedway.org/united-ukraine. Checks also will be accepted. Make checks payable to Town of Palm Beach United Way with "Ukrainian Refugees" in the memo field, and mail them to 44 Cocoanut Row, Suite M201, Palm Beach, FL 33480.

Donations are tax-deductible and 100% of the gift will benefit Ukrainian refugees. For more information, call 561-655-1919.

Carol Rose is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at crose@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach couples give $100K to start Ukrainian Relief Fund