FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — Shorty’s Pub in Fall River hosted a fundraiser on Sunday to benefit a family who relocated to Rhode Island, fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Victoria Pinchuk and her two children, Sasha, 10, and Yana, 22, are adjusting to their new life in a new country.
Yana and Sasha say they would like to get jobs here, but their tourist visa won’t allow it.
Lorraine St. Pierre says she wanted to help after hearing the Pinchuk family’s firsthand account of what was happening in Ukraine.
“As you can see a ton of raffles donated– we’re doing a 50/50,” St. Pierre said. “It’s just the right thing to do, it feels right.”
As the family now finds safety in Rhode Island, a place they once lived while their father attended the Newport Naval War College, he is on the front lines fighting for their country’s freedom.
“It is strange and terrifying things going on in Ukraine now,” Yana Pinchuk said. “I remember I woke up at four or five a.m., my friend wake me up – the war has started.”
St. Pierre told 12 News, fundraising from Sunday’s event raised just over $6,000.
A Gofundme page has also been set up to help the family.
