Store opens in Halifax for Ukrainian refugees to shop for their homes free of charge
Some retail space donated to a local organization to help Ukrainian refugees is now open in Halifax.
Newcomers can shop for whatever they need to fill their homes - for free.
The Ukraine Store opened Tuesday at 7071 Bayers Rd. to limited hours, and in those two days they've already helped 11 families find items they need for their new homes.
“We are looking for some furniture for our apartment,” says Daria Herashchenko.
The teenager’s family moved to Halifax five weeks ago after fleeing the Russian led war in Ukraine.
They, like the others, came to Canada with very few belongings.
“Well imagine coming with what you can carry in a suitcase and you’re starting from scratch,” says store volunteer Greer Kelley.
Despite a seemingly sufficient supply, there is an immediate need for some items, mainly, small appliances.
“We desperately need hairdryers, coffee makers, toaster ovens, teapots, toasters,” Kelley says.
Another thing needed are host families.
“We need Nova Scotians to open up their homes to help people that are coming from this terrible situation in Ukraine and they need places to stay,” says Rick Langille, a volunteer with Atlantic Canadian Hosts for Ukraine.
Host families are typically only needed to bridge the gap until refugees can find a place of their own.
Some are finding, once they get settled, that life in Halifax is comparable to what they had in Ukraine.
Rent and other everyday prices are comparable but the salary Yuliia Lokutovska’s husband makes as a truck driver is double what he’d make in Kharkiv.
Which, they say, is one of the reasons they’re happy to have chosen Halifax as their new home.
To donate to the Ukrainian Store, volunteer, or receive donations, fill out a form on their website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.