Help for Ukraine Refugees from a Higganum Couple

By Kent Jarrell

(July 29, 2025) — Retired Macy’s executive Tim Teran of Higganum and his wife Gretchen have now returned from an unusual summer vacation. They spent two weeks in Europe with Plebeian Helpers, an American grassroots volunteer organization, distributing humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people devastated by the Russian invasion.

On his return to Connecticut from Krakow, Poland, Tim sat down for an interview, which has been edited for length and clarity.

Kent Jarrell: Russia invaded Ukraine more than three years ago, causing death and destruction. At the very least, more than 13,000 civilians and 46,000 soldiers have been killed, and those numbers are probably much higher. More than 10 million Ukrainians have been displaced, millions have left and become refugees in Poland, Hungary, and Moldova. What problems have been created?

Tim Teran: In the middle of Krakow, in what you would think is one of the most beautiful places in the world, there is a wonderful hostel for people who are refugees from Ukraine. They are three to a room. They have a place to live, but they have nothing. They don’t have a life. They don’t have a job. They don’t speak Polish. I asked some of them in their 70s, “What gives you your spirit?” And they said, “We have each other. We are alone but on the right side.” And the sad thing is, they realize as much as they want to go home, they’re probably going to die in Poland because of the war.

Kent Jarrell: What did people need? What could you give them?

Tim Teran: We would go to a store like Costco and spend $10,000 in the morning and $10,000 in the afternoon. The following day, we would do distribution to hundreds of people. It’s a combination of things that we would do for them. Because we had enough money this year, we were also able to purchase an armored vehicle that we could retrofit into an ambulance. We created a blood bank, established a playground, and started several camps inside Ukraine.

Kent Jarrell: What was it like crossing the border into Ukraine? I understand your travels inside Ukraine were restricted because of the war.

Tim Teran: Except for the random bombings where we were going, western Ukraine is trying to maintain some sort of normalcy, while southern and eastern Ukraine are just horrific. When you cross the border and walk into Ukraine, a kind of no-man’s land, the very first thing you see is a sign saying, sign up and join the fight, help us fight (photo below).

So, you can’t miss it, no matter where you are. You see people leaving because they are fleeing. At the same time, you see people going to visit their relatives. And people who are on the front lines coming to spend a weekend or four days with their family just to get a breather before they go back. They’re trying to imagine normalcy. I am struck by that. And I’m sure it’s the truth of human nature, which is you try to make some normalcy work even in a world of complete horror.

Kent Jarrell: These people must be demoralized, experiencing PTSD, chronic stress, and depression. What do they need besides food, medical supplies, and other basic necessities?

Tim Teran: These people hunger for human contact because as much as the Poles are nice to them, they need a place to go, a place where they can talk about things. And what you learn when you distribute supplies is that you don’t just hand people things. You give them a choice of a couple of things, so they feel like they have some control over their lives.

Kent Jarrell: It doesn’t sound like a summer vacation. Why did you go? Will you go again?

Tim Teran: Absolutely. Because it is one thing to write a check. It’s another thing to make a difference and be of a certain age and go do something and to smile and make a human connection. But sadly, this is an ongoing situation. The one thing I think about is, wow, even if it ends, reconstruction in Ukraine is not a short-term project. So, I’ll be back. I think what we do is make a dent in despair because that’s all it is. But many dents make a difference.

Photos by Tim Teran