ODESSA, Mo. — Dozens of residents in Odessa, Missouri, and Odessa, Texas, gathered in their respective cities on Sunday to support their sister city Odesa, Ukraine.
In Odessa, Missouri, a community benefit was held to collect monetary donations and personal hygiene products. Everything will be donated to Heart to Heart International where the items will be made into personal kits for refugees.
“What other opportunity would we have to reach out to a sister city that is named after us,” said Donna Ehlert, event organizer.
Volunteers at the event also served up ethnic soups, encouraging people to donate. It doubled as a cultural experience by giving supporters an idea of what Ukrainians are eating at camps.
“If Odessa, Missouri, was in that same situation, it would be wonderful if Odesa, Ukraine, reached out to us as well,” Ehlert said.
Rob Waibel, longtime resident of Odessa, Missouri, says he believes fate has brought everyone together for a good cause. While Odesa, Ukraine, may seem like a foreign land, historically, there is more that connects the two cities than meets the eye.
“When the gentleman who rode the rail line came through here, he said it reminded him of Odesa, Ukraine. And they didn’t have a name for the town yet,” Waibel said. “Here we are 140 years later, and we’re standing here and we’re preparing to support those people.”
Many in the audience were eager to help. Kenneth and Peggy Brown traveled from Warrensburg to Odessa when they felt a tug at their heartstrings to do more.
“We gave money and we have a flag in our front yard in Warrensburg, but we wanted to be more involved,” Peggy Brown said.
