Eslela Parra sits behind her sewing machine with a heavy heart just thinking about the people of Ukraine.
"It's very sad because it's hard to see how everything is going," Parra said. "But for me, this is something I can do for them."
Parra is one of several employees at WGN Flag & Decorating Company on Chicago's South Side helping to make Ukrainian flags for the community.
"Since the invasion began, the outpouring of support for the Ukrainian community and the Ukrainian people have just been absolutely outstanding," said owner Carl Gus Porter III. "Whether you’re Ukrainian or a local business or a church, everybody wants to show that outcry of support."
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
The family owned business has been around for more than 100 years. The owner told NBC 5 that people have been showing up, calling and placing orders online for the Ukrainian flags, and so far they've made about 100 of them.
"We are able to produce them faster than we can a lot of other flags that need more detail work for them," he said. "My girls basically sew them together. They cut the stripes the sizes that they need, they join them together, and they finish them."
The Ukrainian flag has two horizontal bands of blue and yellow. Thousands of people who attended a rally over the weekend can be seen waving the flag high. For many it’s a symbol of immense pride and honor for their country as people continue to fight for their freedom.
Local
"I had somebody drive two and a half hours the other day just so they could pick one up,” said Porter. "I stayed open late for them just so they could make their way here and still leave with the flag so they could show their support."
Porter is proud of his city for backing the Ukrainian American community and said the patriotism and pride people feel when they wave their country’s flag is unlike anything else.
"A couple of months ago you probably had a bunch of people in Chicago who didn’t know there was such a thing as Ukrainian Village, whereas now everybody is flying that flag, everybody is in their corner, and everyone is standing up for what’s right," he said.
