Twin sisters use Dade City quilt shop to raise more than $100,000 for Ukrainian refugees

DADE CITY, Fla. - Two tons of meat, stacks of noodles, canned food, underwear and more are just some of the supplies helping Ukrainian refugees on the ground, with the help of twin sisters who own a quilt shop in Dade City.

Becky Petersen and her twin sister Rachael Woodard run Quilted Twins in Dade City, but Petersen lives in Warsaw, Poland with her husband doing missionary work. Many Ukrainians are fleeing to Poland, so the Petersen’s are seeing firsthand the toll of the war in Ukraine.

"They are trying to have a brave face, we would say, in English. But there are a lot of tears, a lot of crying. A lot of worry, [they are] worried for their families back home that they didn't leave - husbands, mom, sisters, siblings, brothers," said Petersen.

The sisters put out a call to the quilting community for relief donations a few weeks ago, and they saw the generosity pour in.

"We really thought when we first started that we would raise maybe $10,000 to help with some of this, and we just topped $100,000. That is just mind-boggling to just be the channel," said Woodard, who runs the shop in Dade City. "Everybody here, we’re just channels. We’re not spending it. We’re not doing anything but channeling it on over, and Becky’s able to hand it straight to the people with the specific needs."

Petersen said she is buying food, toiletries, clothes and more in bulk now, filling up her car for her local charities and organizations. She said she scoured different social media groups at first, looking for people who needed help individually at first.

"I'm learning to buy in bigger amounts and so that I can help a little bit more easily, like if I buy 500 or something instead of three," said Petersen. "You buy it like a case of things, like a case of oil, a case of pasta, macaroni. So I've been doing that and then taking to the places where they're taking them."

For the shelters and other locations helping refugees, Petersen said 100 people might come through one place in a matter of three days.

Woodard said they have customers walking into the store and calling to say they can relate because of a connection to Ukraine or Poland. The sisters said they never dreamed they would receive the level of help they have so far.

"We’re seeing so much so much basic humanity taken away, the way people live and being hurt and that’s why I think that the women that come through here have just been generous beyond measure," said Woodard. "When it’s all over with is the big question. We keep saying that we think it’s going to be all over with maybe tomorrow or who knows. No, it’s going to be months. Becky said this is just the beginning."

The donations are helping to fill immediate needs, supporting in a real way thanks to others opening their wallets time zones away.

"I feel privileged that I get to be the one to donate because you get that all the happy smiles and the hugs and the thank yous and even the tears when you give somebody something that they really need, and they just are so grateful," said Petersen.

She said she also plans to use the donated money to buy supplies for buses going back to Ukraine for those who can’t leave the country.

LINK: Learn more about their effort and how to help here.