MOUNT CARMEL, Pa. — If you walk by the Mount Carmel Area Public Library, you will see a display in the window with a t-shirt in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. The shirt is being sold to raise money for war refugees in eastern Europe.
"We decided to make t-shirts, and 100 percent of the profit goes back to the people of Ukraine who are in Poland right now," Amy Watkins explained.
"We printed hundreds so far – different colors, white, gray, and black," said Al Riedel.
A local organization called the Peaceful Village is selling the shirts. The money raised will be given to Jim Gard, who will travel to Poland later this month to teach Ukrainian refugees. He plans on handing out the money himself.
"The dollar is up, so that means the zloty, which is the Polish currency, has a great exchange rate. So, that means even more money and more things for them," Gard said.
The t-shirts are sold for $20 at the library.
"We take the orders and write down their names, sizes, and colors they want and their contact information, and Amy puts in the order. As soon as they come in, I will call them, and they can come pick them up," said librarian Vivian McCracken.
Amy Watkins explained the design behind the shirts.
"We used the sunflower because that is their national flower. so, we are going to spread love by showing how much we love other people in the world and keeping peace."
The Peaceful Village will be selling shirts and taking monetary donations at the Mount Carmel farmers market on Saturday, June 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
See more videos on our area's connection to the Crisis in Ukraine.