The latest roundup of fundraisers for Ukraine:
• Philanthropist Gordy Dodd plans to sit high atop Dodd’s Victoria furniture store in a Sunbelt Rentals scissor-lift as he launches his Locals Helping Locals from Abroad fundraising campaign on Saturday.
Dodd’s Furniture and Mattress in Victoria, Nanaimo and Campbell River will be accepting donations of soap, socks, shampoo, sleeping bags and more to fill a Compassionate Resource Warehouse shipping container full of items destined for the people of Ukraine.
“We are overwhelmed and sincerely humbled by Gordy’s generosity,” said the Victoria branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. “We look forward to working together in support of Ukrainian refugees as they begin to arrive in the coming weeks.”
Dodd will start his campaign at 9 a.m. Saturday at Dodd’s Furniture and Mattress, 715 Finlayson St.
Donations will be accepted at the three stores until April 3.
• A townhouse complex in View Royal is hosting a Ukrainian Fundraiser Bake Sale on Saturday, April 9.
The social committee and residents of the townhouse complex will be baking up a storm for the event, with proceeds donated to the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Victoria.
Items available include cupcakes, cookies, muffins, tarts, squares, scones, loaves and both four and nine-inch pies and cakes.
Cash sales only. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 9 in the clubhouse, 14 Erskine Lane (off Watkiss Way). Security and parking assistance will be on site.
• Locally owned and operated shoe store Walk in Comfort has pledged to match any donation up to $10,000 to a refugee shelter in Poland run by the owner of a Polish trucking business.
Store owner George Kereluk said he got the idea after a fellow member of the orchestra he plays in made him aware of the humanitarian aid efforts of Pawel Sanocki in Radymno, eastern Poland, near the Ukrainian border. Sanocki was featured in a story published by the Globe and Mail on March 8.
Sanocki and his wife turned the trucking company’s vehicle repair shop into a shelter for 50 refugees, complete with a microwave, fridge, beds, washing machine and shelves loaded with food.
But the business has suffered and the Sanockis’ funds are running low.
“The story hit dear to my heart,” said Kereluk, whose grandfather is from Ukraine while his mother is Polish. “I know I can donate to large organizations, like the Red Cross, but this is where I can make a difference by helping a person — a small business — help others.”
He doesn’t personally know Sanocki, and said Sanocki has no idea that funds are coming his way.
Donations will be accepted at any Walk in Comfort store or via cheque (made out to Walk in Comfort in trust) to Walk in Comfort, 731 Fort St., Victoria B.C., V8W 1G9.
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