TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Cenovio Villa Jr is a contractor who lives in Plant City. He’s also a board member of the United Aide Foundation and has traveled to a number of disaster areas as part of relief efforts.
“Anytime there is a disaster, we’re there,” Villa said.
He has just returned from Romania and the Ukraine border.
“It’s very surreal, very surreal to see and imagine these families that are just crossing, leaving everything behind, crossing the border, looking for safety,” Villa said. “It’s heartbreaking to see the mothers and the children. Some of them have family to go to, some of them have friends but a lot of people don’t.”
Families at the border are looking for food, medical supplies and help. Villa and the United Aide Foundation purchased relief supplies when they arrived.
Experience showed them it’s very costly and difficult to transport relief supplies like water, clothing and food from the United States to disaster areas. The local economy also benefits during times of trouble when they purchase locally.
“The easiest thing to do in any disaster situation is to assess what the needs are and find them locally,” Villa said.
Tampa Attorney Mark Wright is leaving for Poland and the Ukraine border Friday night.
“Like everyone else, I was heartbroken about what was going on and the refugees,” Wright said. He was motivated to do something and has joined the National Jewish Federation Group to help.
“Obviously, I’m a little nervous about going tonight. I have a wonderful wife and two beautiful children and they are a little bit nervous as well, but I feel in my heart of hearts it’s just the right thing to do,” Wright said.
He plans to go to the border and do whatever he can to help people in crisis. “As a member of the Tampa Jewish Federation, I’m going to this small mission, this humanitarian mission to see what’s going on to witness with my own eyes, my own heart,” Wright added.
The history of the area is not lost on him. Millions of Jews were murdered during the holocaust — an estimated three million of them were from Poland.
Wright said he’s motivated by the crisis going on now and by history.
“I’m just doing the best I can to make a difference,” he said.
