Preparations underway for opening of Halifax's 'Ukrainian Store'

They say many hands make light work and that proved true as a storage locker filled with donated goods was emptied in a matter of minutes Saturday morning.

The move was for a new 3,500 square foot retail location that will be called 'Ukrainian Store' and is expected to open Tuesday by appointment only.

Iryna Sahaidachna, who flew to Halifax from Poland with her family on June 2, assisted with the move.

The three fled the war with 300 other Ukrainians. Each were only allowed to bring 20 kilograms of belongings on the plane.

"Just clothes. Maybe just a little photo of a memory from Ukraine, that’s all, we don’t have anything," says Sahaidachna.

Instead of claiming items for themselves, her family helped out to make the transition to Nova Scotia easier for others from her country.

"To support them and to show them they are not alone. We are newcomers but we are with them too, we are the same, so we help them and they are not alone," Sahaidachna says.

The household items were then unloaded at the space that had been donated to make it easier for those to pick out what they need.

"We’re going to be able to open all these boxes and we’re going to be able to spread the items out. Will have a section of toasters, a section of microwaves whereas before it was literally stacked to the roof in boxes so you couldn’t really access anything," says volunteer Rick Langille.

"They basically need everything to settle in here from scratch," says Anna Vetrova.

Vetrova also assisted the move. She came to the city from St. Petersburg, Russia with her Nova Scotian husband over a year ago.

"They leave a horrible situation. I cannot even imagine what it feels like to leave everything behind and have nothing to hold onto," Vetrova says.

However, Sahaidachna says she has at least one thing to hold close to her heart.

"I’m very happy because here I feel like home," she says.

The store will eventually be open on a regular basis as more volunteers become available.