LI Woman Originally From Kyiv Accepts Donations For Ukraine

OCEANSIDE, NY — A local resident with ties to Ukraine is helping families get much-needed supplies.

Anna Forte came to Oceanside from Kyiv, a couple of weeks shy of her eighth birthday. Forte and her immediate family left their homeland together in the early 1990s.

Other relatives have been arriving from Ukraine in the years since.

Forte's aunt and uncle were still in Ukraine, but the recent events sent them fleeing to Poland. She has a nephew as a refugee in Turkey.

She recalls a tense time when her aunt was on her way out of the war-torn country. After nearly 24 hours on the road, she texted that they needed to pull over in the vehicle for some rest.

"Wouldn't you know it, two hours later, the town where they stopped was bombed," Forte said. "We couldn't get in contact with her because she was sleeping. Those two hours were very nerve-wracking for everyone in my family."

Forte, who visited Ukraine often during the summertime, called the images plastered on social media, "an out-of-body experience."

Once the initial shock wore off, Forte found a way to get involved. Her aunt in Brooklyn found donationforUkraine.com, where she volunteers.

She started asking friends, which led to an email list, and it grew into Facebook posts. Forte is a realtor, "but I'm a full-time donations collector for Ukraine."

Long Beach Library and South Shore Collision are holding donation drives for Forte as well. Assemblywoman Judy Griffin (D-Rockville Centre) also helped with a collection box.

"One way or another, I either take it straight to Brooklyn from them or it comes to my garage [and] my friends and family, one car at a time, we take it to Brooklyn."