UCSS Vancouver Branch

B.C. residents donate over $1 million worth of supplies to Ukraine

Supplies include much-needed items like wheelchairs, body scanners, ultrasound, and X-ray machines.

Tamara Moldon is a nurse who volunteered to help the effort, and has been doing so for months.

“We started when the war started, and we have been doing this through various means. So it’s a whole bunch of people coming together all for the same purposes,” she said. “Word of mouth gets around, and that is how we got this huge donation, the surgical center, and all the equipment.”

Along with the medical supplies, over 500 handmade quilts are also included in the container shipment.

Moldon says the blankets will be given to orphans and children who are in the hospital.

“[The quilts] are all so unique and beautiful, and we will hopefully distribute them to children’s hospitals and orphanages all over Ukraine,” she said.

Volunteer Rob McTavish says that in one Ukrainian hospital the orphanage was located in the basement.

“Unfortunately in the basement, which is the safest area was the orphanage, where they had three newborn babies that had been orphaned, so quilts like these will be greatly appreciated,” McTavish said.

Since Russia declared war on Ukraine in March, volunteers like Moldon say they’ve continually heard of the horrors experienced overseas.

“It’s hard to look at. We get videos and the injuries are horrendous. And just knowing that we can do whatever we can halfway across the world, [it helps deal] with what’s going on,” she said.

The donations have been facilitated by the Ukrainian Canadian Social Services in Vancouver. President of the group, Roman Sawycky, says Russian attacks are injuring more civilians than soldiers fighting on the front lines.

“We are having the mass bombing that Russia is hitting all the civilians and the infrastructure,” he said. “The drones that Russia is using right now, this is what’s getting a lot of civilians, shrapnel, field minds.”

George Sandwith with the Rotary Club, says the organization was formed for people to come together and help those in need. He adds the club is helping manage the shipment process.

“The majority of the equipment that goes on board, and then we do the storage, and then we load it, and ship it overseas,” he said.

Sawycky adds sending the shipment overseas is expensive, and the organization appreciates all donations.

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Wednesday, November 2, 2022 7:43 PM

Over $1 million worth of medical supplies and handmade quilts have been donated by people in B.C. and are being shipped to Ukraine.

Volunteers from various organizations, including the Ukrainian Canadian Social Services and the Rotary Club, loaded a truck on Saturday with donated supplies.

The loaded container will then be shipped overseas to help Ukrainians, including those who are injured from the war.