Salisbury retiree speaks about helping Ukrainian refugees in Poland

Aug. 1—SALISBURY — Moved by the current Ukrainian refugee crisis, a local retiree is doing his best to make a difference at home and abroad.

Jim Purtell is a retired mortgage company owner and said he wasn't content to simply watch the Russian invasion of Ukraine from his couch over the winter and headed to Poland in March to get a firsthand look at humanitarian concerns.

"People have asked me what drew me there but I can't put a finger on it, other than the sheer craziness of it all. I just can't believe that this is happening in my lifetime. It is so unjust so unprovoked to think that a country could invade another country, just because Vladimir Putin is power hungry, and it's nuts," he said.

The 58-year-old ended up at a refugee center in Przemyśl, Poland, roughly 15 miles from the Ukrainian border, and said he quickly learned that his fellow volunteers needed just as much assistance as the refugees they were trying to help.

"These are just average people, primarily Europeans but you have some Americans as well, ranging in age from 22 to 72, who are rushing in there to help, often at the expense of having a roof over their heads," he said.

After returning home, Purtell quickly drew on his experience in the world of mortgage banking and in April formed The Volunteer Housing Initiative, which provides housing to qualified relief workers responding to humanitarian crises around the world.

"The people we are housing right now are hearing stories and seeing things that are just beyond the imagination. How can you possibly help somebody when you're not working at 100% yourself? You need to get away from it, take yourself out of the situation, and have a nice place to rest, relax, unwind, and go back to what you were doing," he said.

Most of the refugees Purtell said he saw in Przemyśl were women in their 20s and 30s with their children, while most of the men stayed behind to fight the Russians.

"I saw a few men come, literally stop at the border, kiss everyone goodbye, and turn around and go back. I can't believe this is happening in this day and age," he said.

Refugee assistance is "not glamorous work in any stretch of the imagination," according to Purtell, who had his own stories to share.

He spoke about a young Ukrainian woman he met, probably in her mid-20s, who told him her parents forced her to leave home on her own while they remained behind to face whatever came next.

"These are people who have been in their homes all of their lives and they were going to stay in there home 'til the bitter end," he said.

Purtell has been living in Andover for the past 23 years and also has a home in Salisbury. He has spent the spring and summer letting people know about his nonprofit organization.

"Ukraine is not in the news as much anymore and I'm really trying to keep the word out there," he said.

The Volunteer Housing Initiative is working with roughly 10 volunteers in the U.S. while two volunteers are stationed in Poland.

Lisa Healy-Wood, the Volunteer Housing Initiative's director of information technology, said she jumped onboard as soon as Purtell told her about his nonprofit organization.

"Many people just drop everything to do this, never thinking about what they're going to do when they get there. If they can't find housing, then they won't stay and volunteers are needed when there is a crisis, across the globe," she said.

Purtell is continuing to look for new volunteers and will be hosting a sold-out sunset fireworks cruise to raise funds for The Volunteer Housing Initiative at Eastman's Docks in Seabrook on Aug. 10.

"This is kind of our kickoff fundraiser, and if the demand is there, we are more than happy to throw another one together," he said.

Working with The Volunteer Housing Initiative gives people a chance to help while also knowing exactly where their donations go, according to Purtell.

"You're going to know where the money is going and what it is being used for. You can look at our LinkedIn and our Facebook and see pictures of people, who they are and what they are doing. It's pretty amazing," he said.

The Volunteer Housing Initiative website can be found at volunteerhousing.org/.

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.