TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Attorney Mark Wright left his comfortable law practice earlier this week to travel near the Poland-Ukraine border with the national Jewish Federation as part of a relief effort.
“We are very close to the border — just a few minutes from the border,” Wright said on a video call from a relief center. “There are a couple of different border crossings and depending on where the fighting is in the Ukraine, one border is busier than the other.”
“There are areas set up for just children,” Wright said. “Mostly mothers, young children and some older people. There is an area for first aide.”
Wright added, in many ways, life in Poland seems normal. But just over the border, war with Russia rages on.
“What’s interesting is that part of Warsaw seems normal. It’s very big, very vibrant, and then you go to the train station and there are people everywhere,” Wright said.
At the relief center, he’s helped pass out food and even purchased soccer balls to give to children. He said he passed out more than 500 soccer balls on Tuesday as many of the families leaving Ukraine left their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs.
Wright said he plans to stay until Friday and then he will travel back to Tampa, knowing he’s done what he could to help out for a short time.
