Mississippi Aids Its New Sister State in Ukraine.

AuthorPeterson, Eric

It's 5,700 miles from the war in Ukraine to the state of Mississippi--a world away, but not too far to extend a helping hand.

It began when Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann heard from Sergiy Gamaliy, governor of Khmelnytskyi, one of Ukraine's western provinces (or oblasts), about 200 miles southwest of Kyiv. Gamaliy wanted to learn more about the cottages Mississippi built for displaced residents in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

To Gamaliy, whose province has seen an influx of 200,000 refugees from his country's war-torn areas, the cottages looked like a potential answer for the housing shortages in his region, which had a prewar population of about 1.2 million.

Obstacles with shipping proved insurmountable, at least in the short term, but a door had been opened. "That turned into a conversation of how we could help him and what other things he needed," Hosemann says. "I said to him, 'Look, I have the ability as lieutenant governor of Mississippi to adopt a sister state, and on behalf of Mississippi, we want you to be our sister state in Ukraine.'"

Gamaliy happily accepted the offer, and the Mississippi Legislature subsequently adopted a resolution that established Khmelnytskyi Oblast as a sister state. Gamaliy also sent a list of needed supplies. "With 200,000 refugees, they needed everything, all kinds of different things," Hosemann says, reciting a smattering of items from a long list. "Dry rations, bread, crackers, canned foods, diapers, sleeping bags, pillows, towels."

Serendipitous Connection

Through Mississippi Sen. Neil Whaley, Hosemann connected with Jerry Moore Jr. of World/Ukraine Missions in Holly Springs. Under the umbrella of the Church of Christ there, the organization has been sending supplies to orphanages in Ukraine and other countries since 2004.

To accelerate the aid, Hosemann bought a container of food--about 20 tons--and paid for its shipping, typically about $7,000. "Forty-two thousand pounds of rice will feed an awful lot of people in Ukraine," he says. "I'm happy to do that, and I'm personally pleased I was able to contribute." Hosemann is now looking for private donations and plans to send more containers.

With 200,000 refugees, they needed everything, all kinds of different things.--Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann World/Ukraine Missions uses warehouses just outside Ukraine's borders, meaning Russia's invasion didn't interrupt shipments. "When this hit, you couldn't get anything into Ukraine," he says...

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