Lower Bucks County Residents Assist Refugees At Poland-Ukraine Border

A group of Lower Bucks County residents are spending time assisting refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Joe Hogan, his wife Janita Hogan, Pat Long, and Paul Ritacco have spent the past week in Poland working to help people crossing over from Ukraine amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Joe Hogan, Long, and Ritacco all previously worked for the late former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, who co-chaired the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. The three are well-versed on affairs in the region and the Ukrainian community.

The Hogans and Long are all from Lower Bucks County.

Taking off from their jobs for a week, the group traveled to Poland after they saw the violence and disruption the war has caused to the people of Ukraine.

“I’m seeing all this stuff on news reports and Twitter and thinking I have to do something. I was thinking I have to do more,” Joe Hogan said of his mindset before heading over.

Using travel points, the Hogans made the journey and were staying in a hotel near the main train station in Warsaw. The group headed to the border to be of assistance.

Ritacco had already been on the ground a few days and had a lay of the land when the Bucks Countians arrived.

“I have the opportunity and means to do something and I wanted to do it,” Joe Hogan said. “Not everyone can fly over at the drop of a hat and fortunately my wife and I were able to do it.”

Joe Hogan said the sight of women and children fleeing Ukraine is heartbreaking.

In the freezing cold, mothers and their kids, often very young, waited to be processed as they left their homeland, Hogan said.

“It is absolutely horrific. You’re seeing mothers with young children and grandmothers,” he said.

The group with local ties has helped hand out meals, baby food, blankets, and assisted in finding refugees housing. They’ve also helped the World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that brings food to places in need and sets up field kitchens.

Joe Hogan said it has been amazing to see the support for Ukrainians. He said they have met people from all over Europe and the globe who poured into Poland to help.

One of the days, the group paired up with a German couple who were heading to the Polish border with Ukraine in their RV to distribute supplies, Joe Hogan said.

In his travels, Long even ran into a person from Yardley.

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, who was from Middletown Township, formed a close connection with the Ukrainian community during his time in office. His brother, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, is the current co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus.

The recently-formed Michael G. Fitzpatrick Foundation plans to donate to support the humanitarian efforts for the Ukrainian people. The details are still being worked out.

“We are going to be supporting humanitarian efforts on the ground,” said Jack Ayling, who helps with the foundation named after his late father-in-law.

Joe Hogan said support is needed on the ground as refugees pour out of Ukraine and the impacts will be long-lasting.

The U.N.’s refugee agency estimated more than two million people have fled Ukraine as of this week.

NBC News reported the U.N. estimated as many as four million Ukrainians could be forced to flee.

With the prospects of a long-term crisis, the Hogans will look at returning down the road.

“We’re both really glad we got to do it,” Joe Hogan said. “Maybe we can come back and see through these programs we’ve helped with.”

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