A couple from Long Island travels to the Ukraine-Romania border to assist in the reunification of migrants.
As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth week, more than three million people have fled the country.
A Staten Island couple with Romanian ancestry felt compelled to do more than just give in response to the influx of migrants arriving in neighboring nations. According to CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff, they boarded an aircraft and went to work.
The Veterans have witnessed firsthand what the rest of the world watches in bewilderment. The rector of Living Lutheran Church in Old Westbury and his Different types wife have just returned first from the Ukraine-Romania border.
"We didn't just feel called; we felt compelled. We felt a sense of obligation, "According to Pastor Justin Vetrano. "We had no intention of going. We just were going in seeing what we could come up with."
What they discovered was awe-inspiring. Thousands upon thousands of people are fleeing for their lives, with over 400,000 having entered Romania so far.
"Every two hours, 200 to 800 individuals," Vetrano added. "They were all trying to get away from their homes. They were leaving their old lives behind, and 95% of them had no strategy in place. That night, they had no idea where they were heading. They'd been on the road for days."
"In Romania, it was freezing, and everyone was exhausted," Nina Vetrano remarked. "Anything is greater from what they've left behind," says the narrator.
It became evident what their goal was. Nina Has, a longtime tour guide, knew how to arrange buses and connect with individuals who were willing to share their homes and workplaces. Justin Vetrano might be able to provide some relief.
"Hospitality. We were there to greet them as they made their way to safety. Uprooting their whole life, and then arriving somewhere where people greeted them with a laugh, a hug, a sandwich, and a cuppa, there'd be a feeling of hope that his days would improve "He expressed himself.
There was an outpouring of support from family and friends back in the United States. Over $100,000 has been raised to send further assistance.
"Manpower, transportation, and lodging were the most pressing requirements. As a result, we felt obligated to go, "Nina Vetrano expressed her thoughts on the subject.
The Vetranos intend to visit the border again next week, and then again after that. Even if the conflict ended tomorrow, they continued, the predicament of millions of people who had been uprooted would be a humanitarian issue for years.