To help Ukrainians ­suffering from Russia’s military invasion, Swiss and French Mennonites sent 400 handmade comforters and about 2,000 kits of hygiene supplies to Ukraine last fall.

The Association of Mennonite Brethren Churches of Ukraine, currently based in western Ukraine, received the supplies and distributed them to people who are living further east, closer to the front. AMBCU is a partner of Mennonite Central Committee.

“The war, the hardship and the numerous stories of people who suddenly have to find their way in a completely different life situation move us here in Switzerland,” said Marianne Rediger of Bern, Switzerland. “Out of this concern, we from various Mennonite congregations have set out to provide help with our means and resources.”

Volunteers in Switzerland packed soap, a toothbrush, a comb, a nail clipper and a hand towel in each of 1,365 hygiene kits. Others filled 653 relief kits — 5-gallon buckets with four towels, laundry and body soap, menstrual pads, adhesive bandages and other hygiene supplies for a family. French Mennonites contributed hygiene supplies.

“This is how we, young and old, packed buckets in a former cheese dairy in the Emmental region,” Rediger said. “This project is a good way of working together, and it creates good conversations and relationships with people in and outside the churches.”

In the five-room attic of Ruth Luethi’s farmhouse in Langnau village, people who like to sew also enjoy the social aspect that comes along with helping others. The group of about 25 volunteers made 220 comforters in the last six years, including the 75 they contributed to the Ukraine shipment.

“I am very grateful for all these women who help me to set a sign of light and love in this world,” said Luethi, a retired teacher who turned her former attic apartment into a sewing area in 2019.

The fabric used for the comforters is primarily donated by people in her church. To purchase the fleece that goes between the layers of fabric, the group makes and sells small fabric booklets for children.

“It is a very rewarding task for me in every way: Recycling used material prevents the throwaway mentality,” Luethi said. “The quilts bring warmth and color into the lives of the suffering and show them that they are not forgotten. Sewing and making new things from old is also a great joy, and laying out patterns and immersing oneself in the colors brings great pleasure.”

Luethi’s group is one of seven comforter-making groups in Switzerland that contributed comforters to the Ukraine shipment. One group in Germany, made up of refugees from Ukraine and the Middle East, also contributed comforters. In previous years, MCC has sent supplies from European Mennonites to Jordan and Syria.

Roman Rakhuba, leader of ­AMBCU, expressed gratitude for the comforters, kits and other resources.

“We are grateful to MCC for providing us with relief for many years,” he said. “[Recipients benefit] not only from the aid itself but the involvement of someone with their lives. The fact that someone cares is vital for people who have had to hide in shelters regularly and do not have anything to eat.”

As of February, 3.7 million people are displaced inside Ukraine, according to the United Nations. More than 12.7 million need humanitarian assistance.