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Date: 4/12/2022
HOLYOKE – Continuing their efforts to help aid those living and experiencing the traumatic war in Ukraine, Gary Rome Hyundai is still collecting donations to be sent to our allies in Europe.
Rome said his company has always striven to help out in areas of their community and he found out about an opportunity to help people in Ukraine through the Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ludlow. The church is collecting donations and sending them to those in need back in Ukraine.
“We decided that we have the ability, the skills, and the passion with our team to make a difference and collect. We decided we should do this,” said Rome. “As an organization, our corporate culture is based upon doing things for each other and doing things for the community. This is not foreign to us.”
Rome said in the past he and his team have worked with many different organizations and groups to help bring support to people in need. He included the Holyoke Homework House, Holyoke Community College, and the Ronald McDonald House as just a few examples of partners Gary Rome has had in raising money or donations for those in need.
“We have the ability and reach from our social media to make it known,” Rome said of his company’s charitable work.
Donations can be made right within either Gary Rome dealership location in Holyoke or Enfield and they have been specifically collecting items that have been urgently needed in Ukraine like medical supplies, bandages, and pain medications like Ibuprofen. The Gary Rome team is still collecting donations of this type, but as the war has progressed, there is now an urgent need for new men’s work socks.
Rome added that they are also now collecting diapers, baby wipes and non-expired baby formula for an orphanage in Poland that is currently taking in refugees from the war. These items will be sent to Europe on the same ship that Rome saids takes four weeks to reach Ukraine.
Rome noted that the war has been surreal and that he has family from that region; his wife’s grandmother is from Ukraine.
“We can’t even imagine if this happened here, if the Russians were driving down [Interstate] 91 blowing up buildings,” Rome said. “We’re very fortunate.”
Rome said the Ukraine donations drive was supposed to end on April 3, but that with the new requests and ongoing crisis his team would continue the drive as long as it is necessary to help those in need.
“As a community leader, its our responsibility to be a power of example to others. It’s our responsibility to give back and hopefully by doing this we will set an example so others will follow suit,” said Rome.
You can drop off any donations to be sent to Ukraine at either of the Gary Rome dealerships in the area. Rome has set up the donations to be collected inside of a showroom car. Those who wish to donate supplies are welcomed to stop in and put the donations within the donation car.