Dutchess County Hosting Ukraine Supply Collection Site

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Dutchess County is partnering with the Afya Foundation to host a humanitarian supply collection site to help those affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including wounded soldiers, civilians and refugees.

Donations will be collected at the former JC Penney location, lower level, at the Poughkeepsie Galleria over the next two weekends.

County Executive Marc Molinaro said the war is a horrifying and heartbreaking time for Ukraine and he knows many people in Dutchess are anxious to help.

"The generosity of our community has always been strong," he said, "and there are specific needs we can help meet.

"Knowing the heart of this community, let us all come together to help the people of Ukraine, donate what you can and pray for peace," Molinaro said.

The donation collection schedule is:

• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 12
• 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 18
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 19

No appointment is necessary and Dutchess County Medical Reserve Corps volunteers will be on hand to assist those bringing donations.

Afya has provided a specific list of needed items. Only new, unopened and non-expired goods will be accepted from the list below. No other supplies are being collected at this time.

Needed supplies are as follows:

• Flashlights and flashlight batteries
• Baby and adult diapers
• First aid kits
• Face masks
• Hand sanitizer
• Personal hygiene kits (soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, shampoo, razors and shaving cream)
• Basic health supplies (aspirin, acetaminophen, cough medicine, oximeters, ace bandages and compression bandages)

The Dutchess County Departments of Emergency Response and Public Works will assist at collection site operations, including transporting donations to Afya’s Yonkers location. Afya is working in partnership with US-Ukraine-Foundation and others to support the Ukrainian medical community and refugees seeking aid.

Afya was created to serve as a center for giving back. It collects unused medical supplies and equipment from throughout the New York metro area and gives them a second life. It was founded in 2007.

If you would like to donate supplies, but cannot get to the JC Penny location on the collection dates, the Afya Foundation has created an Amazon wish list that can be found here.

While the Poughkeepsie collection events focus on supplies, Afya is accepting monetary donations at their website, a county spokesman told Patch. Please be aware monetary donations may not necessarily be used to support Ukraine.

The Poughkeepsie Galleria is located at 2001 South Road (Route 9) in Poughkeepsie.