A Valley woman is sharing an act of kindness directed towards a Valley Ukranian couple that has been through so much.
The couple was apart before the invasion in Ukraine but was reunited weeks later in Phoenix.
The couple received a gift from the generous stranger on Tuesday.
Alice Gerstmann’s hands stayed in motion as she moved a crochet needle with precision and care.
"I don't do it every day. But once I start working on something...” said Gerstmann, keeping her focus on the task at hand. "And then, it gets very tedious because it is the same stitch over and over again. But, eventually, I finish it."
Gerstmann’s work represents love.
"I only know how to make one pattern. I just make the same pattern over and over again in different colors,” added Gerstmann.
Back in October, Gerstmann saw a national news story on the destruction in Ukraine and wanted to help.
"You know, you think about something you can do as an individual. I can crochet, so I made two blue and yellow blankets,” she added.
Unsure what to do with those blankets, she found her motivation just a few months later while watching an ABC15 report on Olesya and Mykhailo Pikovets.
ABC15 first met Olesya at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine when she was apart from her fiancé, Mykhailo, and then again when they were reunited a month later at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Then, on the invasion's one-year anniversary, ABC15 learned they were married and expecting a baby girl.
"I just thought, well, I have these two blankets and I'd like to give them away to someone that can appreciate that gesture,” added Gerstmann.
ABC15 learned about Gerstmann and the blankets when she emailed reporter Venton Blandin at the station. She wanted to know if he could pick up the blankets and deliver them to the Pikovets.
"Check it out! This is the box,” said Blandin said at the Pikovets’ door.
“Oh, thank you. It is so cute,” said Olesya.
She knew a blanket was coming but didn't know how it looked or the full story behind it.
"Everything is in blue and yellow. Oh my! It is so cute. Wow. This is beautiful,” added Olesya.
And, to her surprise, there were two.
"I really want to meet this lady in person because it means a lot to me that someone, a stranger I don't know, cares for me and cares for the country I came from,” added Olesya.
This is a story of hope between strangers.
Olesya says she and her husband were moved to tears by Gerstmann’s gift.
Gerstmann hopes the blankets send a message of hope, resilience and not giving up.