photo by: Contributed

Lawrence resident Scott Sloyer is volunteering in the western Ukraine border area to help refugees fleeing Vladimir Putin's invasion.

Lawrence resident Scott Sloyer is scheduled to arrive in Przemysl, Poland, this weekend to help feed Ukrainian citizens fleeing Vladimir Putin’s devastating invasion of their country.

What specifically he’ll be doing at the refugee site near Ukraine’s western border isn’t yet clear, but the specifics don’t concern Sloyer much.

“If they tell me to go cut potatoes and carrots for 12 hours, that’s what I’ll do,” he told the Journal-World.

Sloyer, who said he was deeply “disturbed” by the February invasion that has killed thousands of civilians and destroyed numerous communities in Ukraine, just desires to help.

He has been able to turn that desire into action by securing a volunteer spot with World Central Kitchen, a not-for-profit nongovernmental organization that specializes in providing meals in the wake of natural and humanitarian disasters. So far, WCK has provided over 16 million meals and 8 million pounds of food to families across Ukraine, according to its website, wck.org.

Sloyer became familiar with WCK when he volunteered two years ago in New York City to provide support for nurses as the COVID pandemic was ravaging America’s most populous city and overwhelming its hospitals. Sloyer, the director of sales at Etix, remembers making a lot of coffee and doing a lot of laundry — any little chore that could make a nurse’s day a bit easier.

The experience affected him deeply, and he realized that he was “lucky” to have the means to help people who need it.

In Poland, he hopes to meet with refugees and “get the lay of the land,” by which he means figuring out the best way to offer further assistance — whether that’s rounding up socks, diapers or “whatever it is that people need.”

His volunteer stint is scheduled to last 10 days, but he expects to return to the region.

“Even if the war ended today, there’s nowhere for these people to go. Everything is flattened, and there’s going to be a need to feed people for a long time,” he said.

The United Nations estimates that more than 11 million people — in a country of 44 million — have fled their homes in Ukraine since the invasion began.

The devastation is staggering and it’s easy to feel powerless in the face of it, Sloyer said, which is why he’s a fan of focusing on the “little” things that help people through the day: clean clothes, bread, a hot beverage, a smile.

Sloyer has even packed 50 pounds of Tootsie Pops to hand out during his stay.

“You just don’t know when the last time someone had a piece of candy was,” he said.

photo by: Contributed

Scott Sloyer is taking 50 pounds of Tootsie Pops with him to the Ukraine border.