ALBANY COUNTY — No matter the physical distance between people, their spirits remain close together. 

That’s one of the lessons in hope that can be drawn from the war in Ukraine, and observed directly in the ambitious charity efforts that have sprung up in Albany County, where various groups are collecting and sending supplies to the embattled country. 

“It doesn’t fall on any one person now,” said Barry Feinman, founder of the Albany-based humanitarian organization Jezreel International. “Everybody’s involved. Everybody’s partaking.”

Jezreel International was founded in 1996 after Feinman visited countries that had formerly been part of the Soviet Union and was struck by the poverty he saw there. His experience makes the images of Ukraine on the news all the more electrifying for him.

“I was in Kyiv and I was also in Odessa, on my trip,” Feinman said. “My feet were there, so it’s a wild thing to see all this happening.”

Jezreel’s March newsletter states that the organization normally sends between eight and 10 forty-foot cargo containers to Ukraine per year, as well as some to neighboring Moldova. 

Jezreel, which is partnering with the Victory Christian Church, among others, sent its first shipment related to this war on Friday. Victory Church Pastor Charlie Muller told The Enterprise that the shipment contained roughly $180,000 worth of goods. 

“Our part is helping them ship it,” he said.

Feinman said that, typically, Jezreel sends shipments to other organizations that have “feet on the ground.”

“We put the shipments together for them, and they do all the distribution in the different countries,” he said. 

Although the war in Ukraine, stretching into its second month, has received considerably more media attention than other events to which Jezreel responds, such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and last year’s tornados in Kentucky, Feinman said that the amount of donations it’s received has been consistent with those other endeavors. 

This might be because people who volunteer and donate tend to do so habitually, something Feinman sees when partners in the private sector send employees over to provide support.

“Some major companies come out here,” Feinman said, listing Key Bank and Marriott. “A lot of those people will come back on their own to volunteer.” 

Volunteers are the “backbone” of these responses since donated goods have to be sorted and packed, Feinman explained. “It’s a big, big undertaking.”

Right now, Feinman said, the most critical supply for Ukrainians is food — canned and non-perishable — followed by hygiene and baby products. Used clothing, meanwhile, is practically off the list.

“No countries want used clothing at all,” Feinman said, adding that Jezreel accepts used clothing, but only for recycling.

“People think it’s better than nothing,” he said. “But it’s not better than nothing. That’s why we won’t ship it. We don’t want anyone opening a box like, ‘Here’s a worn-out shirt for you. This is what we think of you.’”

In addition to the implicit message it sends, donations of used clothing can jam up distribution, since volunteers have to organize the clothing and discern whether it’s usable or not. During Hurricane Katrina, used clothing donations “were more trouble than they were worth,” Feinman said. 

Like Jezreel, the town of Berne is accepting a variety of donations. Supervisor Dennis Palow declined to be interviewed for this story, but the town’s website requests medical supplies and food, along with miscellaneous items like sleeping bags, extension cords, flashlights, and more. The site says that Palow will ship the supplies.

Also in the Hilltowns, the Westerlo Reformed Church is holding a fundraising campaign on behalf of St. Jude’s International, which is attempting to provide safe passage for young cancer patients and their families out of Ukraine, along with World Vision, which supports Ukrainian refugees in Romania, Westerlo Reformed Church Treasurer Ray Albrecht told The Enterprise. 

Donations can be sent directly to the church at P.O. Box 70, Westerlo, New York 12193.

On March 27, Price Chopper/Market 22 started a five-week fundraising campaign to support World Central Kitchen’s food relief efforts in Ukraine to serve hot, nourishing meals around the clock in cities across Ukraine and at border crossings with Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Moldova. Cashiers in its 130 stores will ask customers if they would like to round up their change to the nearest dollar in support of the not-for-profit World Central Kitchen’s efforts. Price Chopper/Market 32 will match all donations up to $25,000.

Meanwhile, the Albany County Legislature is holding a medical drive specifically, in partnership with St. Nicholas’s Ukrainian Church, in Watervliet. Those who have medical items to donate can bring them to drop boxes located at the Harold L. Joyce Albany County Office Building, the Albany County Courthouse, and MVP Arena in the city of Albany. The drive began on Friday and will continue through March 31. 

Albany County Legislature Director of Communications Nicole Antonucci said that the tight window is at the request of St. Nicholas’s, which is “eager to get these supplies to the people who need them,” adding that it is “very likely there will be another collection as the war continues.” 

The pastor of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church did not return calls from The Enterprise.  

Those interested in helping Ukraine can also use the New York State Stands with Ukraine webpage, launched on March 24, on the state website, where various resources are offered, including a link to the United States Agency for International Development’s Center for International Disaster Information webpage, which lists major humanitarian charities that have been federally vetted for legitimacy.