The Larry H Miller Company has held Driven To Assist Drives before, but the company’s director of public relations Amanda Hansen said the drive set up for Ukraine has by far been its most successful one yet.
“The response from Utahns has really been just overwhelming and amazing,” Hansen said. “We know that Utahns are so generous, and we knew that they'd be eager to help, but the response has really been beyond any expectations we had.”
The drive collected 250 bins, or about 13 semi truck loads of donated items for Ukrainian refugees. Hansen also said they received just over $1 million in community donations. Those donations made through the Community Foundation of Utah were matched up to $2 million. CFU’s community impact manager Megan Connelly said donations came from everywhere.
“You've got these really large, like donations from larger foundations,” Connelly said. “And then you have individuals contributing, you know, what they can within their own means.”
Connelly said Utah citizens have always been welcoming to refugees, but it’s nice to see that Utah is willing to help whether there are refugees coming to our state or not.
“We've seen that energy matched for a crisis that is happening an ocean away, which is exciting for us to be a part to help continue, you know, Utah's legacy of giving and being a supportive and charitable state,” Connelly said.
Hansen said all of the donations will be distributed through trustworthy humanitarian hubs.
“We hope that those who are facing unimaginable circumstances, will not only receive the items that they desperately need to survive and rebuild their lives, but that they will also know that they are loved and supported by our community,” Hansen said.
The Driven to Assist Drive is no longer taking donated items, but they are accepting monetary donations through March 31.
