Ukrainian women update their closets with a free Calgary shopping spree
New Calgarians were offered a free shopping spree Saturday in an event put on for Ukrainian refugees.
Kristen’s Consignment Store and the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) hosted 140 women, who were able to take home five pieces of clothing each.
Kristen Klok said the idea came to her last month as she was sorting through her shop inventory.
"(The women) have been through so much and I know this is just something little that we can do to help brighten their day," she said. We have maybe 800 pieces of clothing, shoes, purses and jewelry. It's pretty special."
Many newcomers cannot afford to purchase new clothing and are without options -- especially when it comes to business attire suitable for job interviews or important events.
The event tried to combat the problem by offering two rooms full of new options.
Six months after fleeing Kyiv, Viktoria Litviakova says the afternoon stands out as a Canadian highlight.
"(Saturday) was maybe the best day since I came here," she told CTV News.
And it wasn't just about shopping.
Litviakova says the event also offered a great opportunity to socialize.
"It's very important for me, my life and my family to meet people from my country to speak my native language and to discuss how people cope with some problems here," she said. "This is amazing."
"We didn't want to make it just for picking up clothing and going," CCIS Ukrainian arrivals project manager Marianna Solomchak said. "We wanted to make it more like a welcoming newcomers and getting to know each other and seeing how we can assist them better as a community event."
CCIS is a non-profit organization that offers settlement and integration support to immigrants and refugees in Southern Alberta.
Solomchak promises more settling events are on the way for Ukrainian families.
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.