PORTLAND, Ore — A Southwest Portland neighborhood has come together to sell plants in order to help a local teen's family living overseas following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Denys Stupakov, 17, was born in Ukraine but moved to Portland four years ago to live with his dad. He said his mother and two sisters have fled the war-torn nation and relocated to Germany, but his grandparents and other family members are still over there.
"It's very concerning," Stupakov said. "I'm more concerned about my grandparents and the rest of my family that's still in Ukraine right now because you just don't know what's going to happen."
Susan Schlesinger is one of their neighbors and came up with the idea to sell plants to help support Stupakov's family. The fundraiser is taking place in her driveway.
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"With the things that are going on in the world, you feel helpless," she said. "Doing something that might bring change or awareness is what makes you get out of bed everyday and put one foot in front of the other."
The plants are donation-based, meaning there are no set prices. In the first two days of the fundraiser, the neighborhood has already raised more than $1,800.
The proceeds will go toward everything from food, housing and clothing for Stupakov's family.
"They need a place to live, they need everyday food. Anything will help because they have nothing right now, they just moved to a completely new space, it's really hard, so this is helping a lot," Stupakov said.
The fundraiser is located at 4227 Southwest 44th Avenue. It goes until Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.