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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.