October 2023 update. Please note that the furniture warehouse is now closed.
In August, Saskatoon UCC started a furniture depot to help displaced Ukrainians furnish their homes.
People have been leaving Ukraine since the war started in Ukraine. In Saskatchewan, there are over 4,000 displaced Ukrainians. Saskatoon is host to approximately 900 as of October 2022. In August, Saskatoon UCC started a furniture depot to help displaced Ukrainians furnish their homes. Myroslava Kushnir, Director, Saskatoon UCC, and Pat Tymchatyn, President, Saskatoon UCC, have been coordinating the furniture depot, which has been a welcome resource for newcomers.
Saskatoon UCC has been advertising furniture donations for displaced Ukrainians, focusing on collecting kitchen tables, beds, and couches. Volunteers have also been picking up donations, and displaced Ukrainians have come to the depot to pick out needed furnishings. UCC started asking for $20 to pick up donations as the cost of the service is expensive for a volunteer organization and because our volunteers use their personal vehicles to pick up and deliver furniture. The monetary donation is to help defray some of the cost of gasoline.
Saskatoon UCC is grateful to all the donors who have donated furniture to help displaced Ukrainians.
If you would like to donate your furniture to our depot, please, send us photos to [email protected].
Please, see how else you can support our cause here: https://uccsaskatoon.ca/support-us/.
We are also grateful to the City of Saskatoon for providing a storage facility. We thank Myroslava Kushnir and Pat Tymchatyn for coordinating the furniture depot and all the volunteers who donate their time, energy, and vehicles to pick up and deliver furniture to our newcomers.
Here is an article and a news video from CTV News about our depot: https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/ukrainian-newcomers-in-saskatoon-receive-free-housewares-from-local-depot-1.6262428?fbclid=IwAR1a8RgeILaMKaMbTtZJ9DCBUw_UWhzsxM1dyz66__3CgJ8aiiKgjB_vpek
Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Heroes!