Ukrainian-Montreal church overwhelmed by support

Community members are rolling up their sleeves and pitching in to help, as donations nearly fill up the entire basement of a Ukrainian church in Montreal.

Since last Sunday, donations have been flooding into the Ukrainian Catholic Parish of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary.

“They need help right now and the way we can do it is by helping them,” explained Mireille Kulisz, a volunteer helping at the Ukrainian church.

The supplies are for both Ukrainians abroad and those who will flee to Canada, say organizers. And Ukrainian Montrealers say the support they are receiving is overwhelming.

“A lot of people don’t say much but they do what they can, and we really appreciate it,” explained Kulisz.

“I decided to do this because my husband’s family is in Ukraine and we have to help them, we have to help people that are leaving Ukraine for the poll and that’s one of the things we’re doing.”

The church – in Montreal’s Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie borough – has asked that people now cease donations of clothes as they’re close to reaching full capacity.

“We have a couple of drop off points at other parishes, they say we want to ship it here and we say ‘no, hold on, hold on to it first because we have no room here,’” explained Myroslaw Balycky, president of the Ukrainian Catholic Parish of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary church.

Medicine, feminine hygiene products, baby formula and food are still welcome.

Ukrainian-Montrealers say their family back home is torn between running away and staying back to fight.

“This is their homeland, its blood and guts, it’s hard, I know, with our friends we’ve been talking back and forth, I mean, it’s gutwrenching,” said volunteer Eugene Malynowsky. “There’s going to be 20 million people fighting against an army that’s just blasting everything we have built for the last 30 years and the last 100 years they’re blasting it and vaporizing it and turning it all to dust.”

“They are afraid! When you have your neighbours being bombed and people are being killed, what else do you want them to think,” added Kulisz.

“Last Saturday, we must’ve had 30 ladies making perogies here so it was nice to see people everybody wants to chip in and wants to help out. As I said it’s not just Ukrainians, it’s different people from all walks of life and different nationalities,” explained Balycky.