Gov. Newsom packs state's surplus emergency supplies to ship to Ukraine

Point Richmond woman hugs husband before heading to Poland

Point Richmond woman hugs husband before heading to Poland to bring donations to Ukranian refugees. Tom Vacar reports

DIXON, Calif. - As the Russians continue their invasion of an independent Ukraine, a worldwide effort to help the people inside and out of the Ukraine continues.

Governor Gavin Newsom spent his Tuesday morning helping pack some of California's vast surplus emergency supplies for immediate shipment for Ukraine relief.

As many as five, 50-bed mobile medical stations, originally created for disasters and COVID surges, will be sent for Ukraine relief upon request.

"Everything that you would need to be able to set up a rapid hospital in a gymnasium or somewhere like that," said California Office of Emergency Services manager Grady Joseph. One hospital and an array of other supplies will leave in the next couple of days to Warsaw, Poland.

Also included: respirators that might be needed for a Russian chemical attack.

On one container Governor Newsom wrote, 'From California with love.'

"Now you see with over a million square feet in southern California and half a million here, our ability to help is abundant," said the governor.

Law enforcement is also helping out with life-saving body armor and helmets needed in the shelling and bombardment areas.

Palo Alto-based Nova Ukraine continues to help get people out of Ukraine, provide aid and communications to them in countries they fled to as well as provide direct aid and assistance to Ukrainians still in their county. Some are even finding refuge here in the United States thanks to their efforts.

On an individual level, we met up with Barbara Cook at San Francisco Airport leaving on United Airlines.

"I have no idea how I'm going to get this through to the other end. We're gonna through check it all the way to Warsaw," Cook said to a an airport employee.

The child and grandchild of Nazi concentration camp survivors, she's off to Poland on a quick turn around, with her first load of 20 suitcases of clothing collected from friends and family in San Francisco and Richmond.

The clothes are for women and their children to start over.

"What we're trying to do is restore some dignity for those women who are now stuck as refugees through no fault of their own. We're trying to help them," said Cook who bid farewell to her husband and was off to Poland.

"It's an adventure. She's a very tough woman, smart woman. Pardon me? I am worried, very worried," said husband Alex Daneman.

This is all part of a mounting effort across America and around the planet to do whatever can be done in the hopes that Ukraine will survive and once again, thrive.