'I Stopped Crying': Local Ukrainian Woman Focused On Funding Assistance For Refugees
WILMINGTON (CBS) -- At first, it was tears, grief, and pain for Elena Cannata when she learned her home country of Ukraine had been invaded by Russia and her friends and family were in danger.
"You want to grab and protect them, but you can't," said Cannata, who now lives in Wilmington with her husband, two kids, and her mother.
A couple of days into the war, Cannata decided it was time to stop crying and start acting.
"I stopped crying. Enough. Crying, or sitting, or just staring at the news, will it help? No," she exclaimed.
Cannata said friends in Wilmington were sending her money to assist the Ukrainian people and she needed to figure out how to get it to them right away. She decided to put in her own Ukrainian bank account, to then transfer to people who needed it on the ground.
She started with money for body armor and helmets. She then gave $800 to her father, a bus driver who is shuttling women and children to the western part of Ukraine. He distributed it directly to his passengers.
Cannata connected with a woman who has given temporary housing to nine different refugee families in the last 12 days. Funding from Cannata went toward groceries.
The requests keep coming. On Monday, she received a message asking for assistance in finding a hotel room for a nine-month pregnant woman fleeing Kyiv.
"The problem is by the time the money gets to the charity, by the time the people can turn around, and apply for the charity, the time is flying," Cannata said.
In total, Cannata has raised $6,000 dollars and sent $7,000 home.
"I know that more will come," she said.
UPDATE 3/8: Elena's SpotFund fundraiser has now raised more than $9,000
