A Ukrainian-born dealer and his business partner have donated a 2010 Honda Ridgeline to the Ukrainian Army.
Serhii Shelep and Eli Reznik, both with Ukrainian roots, are trying to offer the country as much support as possible.
Shelep was born in Ukraine and moved to the U.S. 10 years ago. But, many of his relatives and friends remain in the region. Therefore, he wanted to do something to support his homeland, which was still suffering from the war with Russia.
Reznik is an immigrant from Israel but also has roots in Ukraine as well.
He and Reznik, business partners of CarNeed, a Northbrook used car dealership, have been fundraising for the country since the beginning of the war in 2022.
Shelep explained, “We invited several clients and friends to participate.” He added, “From that, we made roughly $5,000 and paid the remaining $4,000 on our own, which included repairing the car and shipping it to Ukraine.”
The car was then delivered to a Polish town. According to Shelep, it took four to six weeks to get there. “After that, we delivered it to the western part of Ukraine.” Where Shelep’s father saw to it that it was sent to the region in Ukraine that needed it.
The vehicle, noted Shelep, will deliver supplies to the soldiers. But, since the roads have been wrecked, “we’re currently installing mud tires on the vehicle in Ukraine since otherwise, you can’t drive in certain territories.”
Ternopil, the hometown of Shelep, has not yet been affected by violence. “My hometown is a shelter for individuals forced to leave their homes,” Shelep added. “They assist those from the eastern region of Ukraine.”
Shelep and Reznik were shocked to get a poster personally signed by General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander in Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, as they had not expected any gratitude for their donation.
They intend to resume fundraising efforts to make it possible to give the Ukrainian Army another car in addition to other necessities like first aid kits.
