Runners, walkers and joggers of all ages traveled along a bike path in Long Beach as part of a Run for Ukraine, which raised a few thousand for the country’s humanitarian needs amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
Sara O’Connor, who organized the event, will donate the $5,500 she raised to three organizations that provide food, water, hygiene kits, cash assistance, psychological and social support and first-aid supplies for paramedics and doctors on the front lines.
Runner Snezhana Fedotova moved to Long Beach from Russia a decade ago and said that the ongoing war is close to her family and friends who live in both Russia and Ukraine. Having donated $60 as a registrant for herself and her kids, she said participating in the run Sunday morning was a way to do something to help Ukrainian refugees.
“This war is absolutely unbelievable to me,” she said. “I can’t understand how people who are so close can fight against each other.”