Suncoast family sending care packages to Ukraine families

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - From Ukraine to the Suncoast many people can’t stop thinking about the people who are being forced out of their homes and evacuating to stay alive. Jim and Kathy Flora are collecting what they call the “Table of Love.”

The collection of goods and services include personal items Ukranians can use immediately.

“We just decided we gotta do something,” Jim Flora said. “So pretty quickly we found a Ukrainian church in St. Pete who had already established a network for distributing relief for the refugees.

“So we emailed a bunch of friends we networked on social media and the Table of Love so far is a result,” he said.

The Flora family and scores of people are donating nonperishable goods to Epiphany of Our Lord Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in St. Petersburg.

“Our future daughter-in-law has a family member that is from Ukraine. So our grandchildren have cousins that are related to people in Ukraine,” Flora said. “And when we heard about this we decided to were going to bring our grandkids with us to deliver these goods because they worry about those kids.”

He said the dolls and crayons in the packages can help moms make life as normal as possible for their children. “We want to make sure that those kids know that they’re loved, even from across the globe.”

Jim and Kathy Flora are inviting anyone who wants to donate nonperishable items from hand wipes to granola bars to come to the Costco in Manatee County at the Interstate 75 and State Road 64 intersection on Saturday, March 12 from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Donations will be accepted near the store’s gas pumps.