Multiple Joliet-area organizations come together to send hygiene kits to Ukraine

When the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, Maria Macris wasn’t immediately thinking “send hygiene kits.”

Macris, like others in the community, said simply wanted to help the refugees. But her desire led her to reach out for donations and volunteers.

The result was a cooperative effort among All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Joliet, the Kiwanis Club of Joliet, the Kiwanis’ Aktion Club, Aktion Angels Club and the Greater Joliet Area YMCA to ship hundreds of hygiene kits shipped overseas.

Here’s how it came together.

All Saints Greek Orthodox Church

Macris said her church, All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Joliet, previously had assembled hygiene kits for the International Orthodox Christian Charities, which then distributes those kits wherever it finds a need.

The hygiene kits also are an approachable way for people to help.

“One can give money to a cause,” Macris said. “But it has more of an impact when you’re actually physically doing something. The beauty of these hygiene kits is that you are physically doing something and you know someone is going to have an impact when they receive them.”

So Macris contacted the IOCC. It definitely needed hygiene kits for the Ukrainian refugees. But the IOCC has specific instructions for making such kits, Macris said.

“Everything fits into gallon-sized Ziploc bags,” Macris said. “Essentially, that’s a hand towel, washcloth, nail clipper, bar of soap, a toothbrush and 10 Band-Aids. So everything can be bought at a dollar store, Target or Walmart.”

Members of All Saints Greek Orthodox Church assembled 100 hygiene kits. But Macris wanted to send more because the need was high.

“With the scope of this war – how could we try to maximize it?” Macris said.

Kiwanis Club of Joliet

So Macris said she sent an email to the Kiwanis Club of Joliet, which donated $1,000 toward enough hygiene items to make 300 kits, she said. Mike Kelly, president of the club, said the Kiwanis focuses on community service and helping children. Plus, some members had friends in the Ukraine, too.

“With the Kiwanis, that hit home pretty hard and we wanted to help,” Kelly said.

Macris said she then contacted Terry Kunze, adviser for the Kiwanis’ Aktion Club, to see if members might like to assemble the kits.

Aktion Club and Aktion Angels

Kunze said about 20 Aktion Club members and 20 Aktion Angels members participated. Aktion Club is an extension of the Kiwanis Club and is for adults over age 18 who have disabilities. The Aktion Angels is for ages 18 to 22. Cindy Jorgensen is the advisor for that group, Kunze said.

Club members run their own meetings and choose their own projects. They were thrilled to assemble the hygiene bags “knowing they were helping someone in desperate need right now,” Kunze said. About a dozen items were laid out on tables at the Jacob Henry Mansion in Joliet and members were quickly done, she said.

“The funny thing about it was, at the previous Aktion Club meeting, the members were talking about what projects they wanted to do. And someone mentioned that they wanted to do something for Ukraine,” Kunze said. “So I said to one of my Kiwanis members, ‘I need to find a way that we can help the people from Ukraine ... but then I got a letter from Maria and it just fit perfectly without our group because they do hands-on projects.”

Sue Pritz-Bornhofen, spokesperson for the family-owned Jacob Henry Mansion Estate, said she was happy her family could provide the space.

“It was just a wonderful day of giving back and moving forward,” Pritz-Bornhofen said, later adding, “We’ve all been through so much the last couple of years. If more people would open their doors and their hearts, I think we all would be better off. We all need to work together.”

Greater Joliet Area YMCA

Macris next reached out to Katy Leclair, president and CEO of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA. Leclair said the Y put together a month-long collection drive among its members at all three branches: Galowich Family YMCA in Joliet, C.W. Avery Family YMCA in Plainfield and Morris Community YMCA.

Then the youth in the after-school programs at all three locations assembled 150 hygiene kits after staff prayed over the kits, Leclair said.

Leclair said the Y got involved because it saw an opportunity to help.

“The Joliet area is an incredibly generous community,” Leclair said. “Anytime there is a need locally or abroad, people are always willing to step in and help.”

Macris said the “idea and concept of philanthropy and volunteering” started with her grandparents and flowed through her parents to her. Macris said her father Nicholas Macris is “heavily involved in the community.”

“It’s just in my DNA,” Maria Macris said. “When something comes up and you have your heartstrings pulled, you do whatever you can in whatever way you can.”