CHELM, Poland — More than 2 million people have fled Ukraine after the Russian invasion according to the United Nations refugee agency. More than 1.4 million of them are in Poland according to a tweet from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland.
That made an impact on Jon Wheeler, from Nampa, and his polish wife, Agata Rybarczyk.
The couple heads to the train tracks every weekday near the Polish-Ukrainian border. They pass out soup to incoming refugees. In the last six days, they've provided more than 2,000 people fleeing war with a warm meal.
"It may be a little thing, but it's actually a huge thing," Rybarczyk said. "They just passed the border into the unknown, and if the first contact you can have is warmth, that's a positive impact, I think."
It's not about the soup for Wheeler and Rybarczyk; it's about what the soup symbolizes. It's a sign of humanity for people who need it most.
"We could be in this situation just by fate or whatever," Wheeler said. "That's how I feel about it. I might be from Nampa, but I could just as easily be from Ukraine or Poland, or wherever. They're just people."
The couple was already in Europe when Russia began its invasion. While there were some initial safety concerns, it was ultimately an easy decision to pack up the car and head to the border.
Rybarczyk has family in the area that has pitched in to help.
Meanwhile, in Idaho, Wheeler's has family running a Facebook page called "Hot soup for Ukrainian refugees." The page has helped collect more than $7,600 according to Wheeler's cousin Julie Cheng.
Cheng started an official fundraiser with the goal of generating $10,000 to continue the effort. One cup of soup costs $1.50.
"It's not that they want to leave their homes, it's that they have to leave their homes," Rybarczyk said. "Not really a long time ago they were cooking their own soup. And today they cannot do that anymore. This is the warmth we can deliver."
Wheeler and Rybarczyk have no plans to slow down. As long as Ukrainians are fleeing a war zone back home, the soup will be at the tracks, they said.
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