American Red Cross and Carter BloodCare raising money for Ukraine
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The videos and images coming out of Ukraine highlight the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding.
The American Red Cross estimates 18 million people, a third of the country's population, need assistance.
Hospitals, blood centers and warehouses were damaged or destroyed and it's created a critical need for supplies.
"The attacks by the Russians are getting more brutal," Olena Khrystyuk said. "Russians are not stopping the airstrikes, bombing on civilians."
Khrystyuk's loved ones in Mariupol are giving her updates and sending videos of the destruction.
For the first time, today, President Biden called what's happening genocide.
"I'm so thankful to President Biden that he finally said those words out loud because that's exactly what is happening in Ukraine," Khrystyuk said. "There's hundreds, hundreds of dead civilians."
In North Texas, organizations are monitoring the situation.
"When we heard of the devastation specifically to the blood collection supply we wanted to help immediately in any way we could," Carter BloodCare's Veronica Moore said. "Particularly there was some devastation to the building where the blood supplies are stored and of course this will have an immediate effect."
Last weekend, Carter BloodCare launched a donation drive and contributed $15 toward purchasing critical blood supplies for each person who donated blood, platelets or plasma. Overall, raising close to $40,000.
"It will go specifically toward blood collection supplies," Moore said. "These are collection bags and test tubes."
Additionally, the American Red Cross announced it's contributed $12 million to crisis relief efforts. This money will go toward life-saving aid, alleviating suffering and providing emergency supplies.
"The number of people hurt is unthinkable so any supplies, anything that can help Ukrainians to heal and help them survive and fight back against the Russian Federation is definitely very helpful," Khrystyuk said.
"The time has come to put our foot down and say 'no more.' "
