When longtime House of Ukraine board member Mira Shtefanyak Rubin was urged to step in as president of the Balboa Park-based group last December, the working mother of two young children was hesitant because of the time commitment.

Little did she know what lay ahead.

Ever since the Russians invaded the country she left at age 18, she has revved into high gear organizing aid and support. Her kids are being watched by her husband and her mother while she works for hours each day to pave the way for deliveries to the combat zone, as well as organizing candlelight vigils and war protests here at home.

Local churches and schools have initiated collections of food and clothing, but those at Ukraine’s cottage in Balboa Park’s House of Pacific Relations are looking to fill other needs. They are collecting gently used military gear — helmets, bulletproof vests, boots, knee pads, gloves, binoculars, thermal imagers, nitrogen goggles, other body armor and tactical gear for the army of citizen soldiers.

They’re also using San Diegans’ cash donations to buy these items.

“Fighters in Ukraine have to bring their own gear,” Rubin says. “Ukraine doesn’t have any gear for them.

“We got emails from our friends and family saying, ‘We have no gear. We’re in front of the tanks, and we have no helmets and no bulletproof vests.’ We have people begging us for things right and left.”

While the current focus is the safety of resistance fighters, if they lose their battle to protect their homeland, the emphasis will shift to food, water and clothing for displaced Ukrainians.

A shipment of 200 used military helmets left San Diego on Wednesday. The Ukrainian group has 30 to 40 bulletproof vests ready to ship but ran into a glitch. A license is needed to send the vests out of the country, so Rubin is working with congressional representatives and the U.S. State Department to get a special use waiver.

The San Diego House of Ukraine also is concentrating on medical aid. Pleas have gone out for anyone traveling to Eastern Europe to carry an extra bag with them. They have suitcases standing by packed with medical supplies, including tourniquets and blood clotting medicine needed for wounded fighters.

“Three hundred tourniquets in a suitcase are 300 lives saved,” Rubin says. Through their networks of friends and relatives, they have feet on the ground in Poland and Romania where couriers are designated to meet travelers and transfer supplies to the border where Ukrainians await to deliver them. Each is marked with a designated unit and recipient near the heaviest fighting zones.

“On the ground we have it figured out,” Rubin says. “Once they get there, the connecting is easy. The biggest problem is finding free space on flights to get supplies out. Men can’t leave Ukraine now, but they can get to the border and meet aid shipments and escort them to the right place.”

Charter planes to Poland are too expensive for the small organization, and air freight costs about $2.80 a pound, so they are coordinating with other aid flights to utilize any available space. A private jet recently took 15 boxes of medical supplies and some military gear.

The San Diego region is rich in military retirees who are dusting off stored gear to donate. The Balboa Park cottage, normally closed on weekdays, is opening from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday to accept items. It has extended weekend hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

But storage space is minimal so donors are encouraged to deliver items to the St. Mary Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church at 9558 Campo Road in Spring Valley, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Sunday.

As a 501 (c) (3) organization, the donations are tax deductible, Rubin says, which is why the tiny 60-year-old House of Ukraine has become a popular conduit for contributors.

For those who prefer to give money directly to the Ukrainian military, the National Bank of Ukraine has set up an account for this purpose that accepts Google Pay, credit card or wire transfer. Details are posted on the website: HouseofUkraine.org

San Diegans are finding another creative way to donate money directly to beleaguered Ukrainians.

Airbnb, the vacation rental site, has waived its guest and host fees for rentals in Ukraine so all money goes directly to the overseers of the property. Some people are renting and paying for rooms on Airbnb, and similar sites such as VRBO, not to vacation in the war zone, but as a way to donate money directly to individual Ukrainian families.

“I think it’s a legitimate way and a clever way to get money to people,” Rubin says. While the money goes to individuals, she points out that many of the vacation rentals are simply a room in the home of a family in need.

Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky posted online that in 48 hours on March 2 and 3, more than 61,000 nights were booked in Ukraine: “That’s $1.9 million going to hosts in need. Such a cool idea from our community.”

Airbnb also has pledged, with the support of generous hosts, to provide free, short-term rentals in neighboring nations housing up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine.

The House of Ukraine has only 80 paid members but many new faces are turning up out of nowhere, Rubin says.

“My life is on hold. I’m dedicating my time to this right now. I lost 4 pounds last week. We’re working against time here.”

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