It was with a “huge, huge thank you” that the people of Ukraine expressed their appreciation to those in  Delaware County who donated money through a Ridley Park bakery for much-needed medicine, bullet-proof vests, and other supplies, reports Kerri Corrado for CBS 3.

That message came from Ridley Park bakery owner Illya Zayarchenko, a Ukrainian who is in his homeland doing what he can.

The donations, collected from his bakery, Ardour Bakery and Coffee, paid for supplies for the Kyiv region, valued “like gold” in Ukraine.

“Knowing that people across the world are supporting them and helping them, it just gives a lot more strength, a lot more power,” Zayarchenko said in a video message from Ukraine.

Zayarchenko is translating, working in refugee centers and loading food.

Currently, a humanitarian aid convoy leaves a base in Hungary and gets as close as possible to Kyiv. From there, people on bikes and motorcycles complete the delivery.

The trip has been life-changing, he said, as he described residents of the devastated city of Mariupol drinking water from a boiler pipe because there was nothing else.

 “Honestly, I just couldn’t believe that it’s possible in the 21^st Century that this kind of stuff can be happening.”

Read more at CBS3 about Illya Zayarchenko.