BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Melbourne mother has a special connection to war-torn Ukraine. It’s that tie that has her encouraging the community to help.

Kathleen Bendiksen said she has a new cause that is as personal as it gets: Donating supplies to a ravaged Ukraine, where her adopted daughter was born.

“Before we get it loaded up on a plane, and hopefully fill this place to the top,” Bendiksen said of the supplies she and her family have been collecting. “I can’t imagine the moms having to leave with a backpack and not having what they need.”

Bendiksen is a mother of two biological children and two adopted children, one of them being her 18-year-old daughter Yeva.

Yeva is one of three children adopted from Ukraine by Bendiksen and her husband five years ago. Completely unfamiliar with the English language before coming to the U.S., Yeva is now fluent in both languages and currently works two jobs, one of them being at a spa.

She spoke with her biological brother’s girlfriend Anastasia recently, who said Russian troops had been bombing her city for the past week.

“My brother and her have been running to bomb shelters five times a day because of all the sirens,” Yeva said. “They’re scared. They don’t know what else to do.”

But Bendiksen knew there was something she could do.

In just a few days, word spread about the drop-off sites around the area. In that time, the community has come through by donating diapers, food, medical supplies and more. 

“The need is great, the hands are many, and I’m excited about what’s going to happen, because you are going to make a difference,” Bendiksen said.

And in just those few days, Bendiksen said she has seen the local compassion for the people of Ukraine.

“Amazing hearts, we are just in awe,” she said, tearing up. “And we’re so thankful. And I tell you what, people are incredible.”

Anyone looking for more information or a way to help, can visit the Love Can Cross Oceans Facebook page.