Ukrainian Furniture Warehouse marks one year of helping newcomers in Edmonton
Saturday marked the one-year anniversary since the creation of the Ukrainian Furniture Warehouse in Edmonton.
The organization provides furniture for Ukrainian newcomers and helps many settle into Canada.
“We are not working now so that is why we don’t have enough money to buy everything,” said Ukrainian newcomer Oleksandra Yasko.
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“We were in Kiev for the whole time. I was an English teacher there. But we have to leave Kiev because the situation is getting worse and worse.”
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Providing mattresses, beds, kitchen tables and couches – furnishing a home is only one small step to helping those fleeing Ukraine. But it’s not the only service the organization provides.
“We have stepped up and are offering through volunteers English classes on a regular basis to help patch those gaps that currently exist,” said Orysia Boychuk, the president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Alberta Provincial Council.
More than 150,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada with 33,000 settling in Alberta.
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Organizers say they are serving hundreds of newcomers each month, something they never planned for when they started.
“This is just a little piece that we want to help and contribute,” said Boychuk. “And we’re still doing this. We’re serving 400 families a month.”
The warehouse is open on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and on weekends. They are still accepting donations to help those in need.
