Powering Ukraine

Stuff We Love

Aug. 22, 2026

Few of us can imagine what life is like in Ukraine today, where many citizens are forced to live in bombed cities or experience regular and severe power outages. In response to the ongoing war, Petoskey’s Rick Donahoe, a retired engineer and member of the First Presbyterian Church, has been building solar-powered light kits, which can provide both light and charging capabilities, for the people of Ukraine. Because the kits contain lithium batteries, they must travel by land or water, which means a long trip across the Atlantic and through Europe to reach the refugees. Donahoe and church members have assembled more than 2,500 battery packs and/or kits to date. On Monday, Aug. 24, volunteers are gathering at 6pm in Fellowship Hall at the First Presbyterian Church in Petoskey (501 E. Mitchell St.) to assemble 100 kits and hear from Donahoe and Dave Nonnemacher, who transports the finished kits to Ukraine. Learn more at petoskeypres.org.