CANTON – A fundraiser spearheaded by SUNY Canton's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) has collected numerous donations to help the citizens and refugees of war-torn Ukraine.

EOP Director Walvi DeJesus said his staff and their students decided to help as a tribute to the ideals of Arthur O. Eve, a former politician and architect of SUNY EOP, during the program's annual week of service.

"We have taken the lead on campus to collect needed items for the relief efforts," DeJesus said. "We put out the call to the SUNY Canton community and have even received local support for this effort."

EOP Counselor Jessica R. Barstow said that students and staff had collected about 40 bags of clothing in addition to toiletries and other supplies during their two-week drive. The relatively new college employee reached out to Laura Lee Taylor of Treasure's Cove, a thrift store in downtown Potsdam, who provided a substantial portion of the donations.

"I think after everything we've been through as a society that it's more important than ever to give back when we are able," Barstow said. "So many people have volunteered to make this happen. It takes a lot of effort to create the supply chains necessary to get the items to those who can benefit from them."

The college worked through Brenda H. Sipher, a realtor from Chaumont, and a member of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors office in Watertown, to establish a means of transporting the goods overseas. Sipher came to collect the goods on Wednesday and transport them to the Watertown Fairgrounds. They will then be sent to the Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey and then shipped to Poland, according to organizers.

Sipher began the donation drive by collecting socks to send to refugees, which earned her the nickname "The Sock Lady" in Watertown. She said she became involved after seeing a displaced Ukranian child on the news.

"Many of our donations have come from senior citizens," she said. "I think this has been a really great opportunity for young people to get involved."

Russia invaded Ukraine almost two months ago creating a conflict that has led to about 40,000 deaths, and 21,000 injuries, according to Reuters. Nearly 11 million people have been displaced, and 4.6 million Ukrainians have left their home country to seek refuge from the war.