CBC News | March 2023
The Free Store for Ukrainian Newcomers outgrew its original Edmonton location and moved into a bright new space at 105th Avenue and 108th Street — made possible through a partnership with Firefighter Aid Ukraine and MacEwan University. Co-founder Janice Krissa-Moore called it a place to “build a community of love,” where Edmontonians dropped off donations almost as fast as newcomers filled their bags.
The store was never meant to be a charity handout — as the team put it, “This was always about a hand up, not a handout.” Volunteers were busy organizing online sales of authentic Ukrainian food and planning a fundraising dinner to help cover the new lease and keep operations running.
One of the most beautiful parts of the story? Head chef Matthew Potts from Cook County Saloon offered up his kitchen to Ukrainian newcomers who spent the day singing and making perogies, cabbage rolls, and borscht together — a moment that grew into a full three-course fusion fundraiser called “Bannock & Verenyk,” blending Ukrainian and Indigenous cuisine.
See the full story: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ukrainian-newcomers-edmonton-free-store-war-alberta-volunteers-1.6766104
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