'We appreciate every kind word': Community BBQ held to welcome Ukrainian refugees
As Ukrainians continue to flee their war-torn country, many who have already left, have found asylum in Canada.
"I was in Ukraine when the war started," said Valeriia Yelshynova, a refugee.
Yelshynova lived in Brovary, Ukraine, just outside Kyiv, when Russia launched wide-ranging attacks on February 24th.
"I had to go to work that day," she said.
Instead of work, Yelshynova eventually made her way to a bomb shelter in the country's capital.
"It was uncomfortable because you have no pillows there, you have no normal mattress, you're just sleeping on the boxes," she said. "We could (have) gone outside, but it was pretty dangerous because we knew Russian troops were right close to our city."
Valeriia Yelshynova took shelter in a Kyiv bomb shelter in February as the Russian invasion of Ukraine began (Supplied).
Valeriia Yelshynova took shelter in a Kyiv bomb shelter in February as the Russian invasion of Ukraine began (Supplied).
Yelshynova is now in Calgary, living with her aunt and cousin. She travelled alone to several other countries before making it to Canada.
"I travelled to Chernivtsi, in West Ukraine," she said. "I stayed there for a while, and then I crossed the border in Romania, travelled to Italy, and from Italy to Frankfurt, and then Calgary."
On Sunday, hundreds gathered at Bowness Park for a community barbeque, to welcome Ukrainians refugees to the city.
"To (help) integrate into Canadian society, (to) feel like part of the society, to be a part of a bigger group," said Roman Vlagynskyi, who helped organize the picnic-style event.
Several local organizations were also there to provide information about resources and support, including employment advice.
Valeriia Yelshynova is now in Calgary, living with her aunt and cousin (CTV News Calgary/Virginia Wright).
"So that includes everything like basic needs, like housing support, food security, so gift cards for grocery stores," said Anila Lee Yuen, president and chief executive officer of Centre for Newcomers. "It includes helping to get children into schools, and get them registered."
Lee Yuen says the demand for help won't slow down anytime soon.
"We've probably served closer to 300 Ukrainian individuals," she said. "They may all be representing families or may be individuals on their own, but we are still expecting within the thousands."
For those who have received any assistance, they say a little goes a long way.
"We appreciate every dollar, we appreciate every kind word, we appreciate any piece of food, any clothes the world will give us," Yelshynova said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
NDP want Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Israel's war cabinet minister moves to dissolve parliament: statement
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz's centrist party has proposed holding a vote to dissolve parliament in a bid to bring about an early election, his party said in a statement on Thursday.
DEVELOPING BMO clients face outages in Canada, U.S. following data centre fire alarm
Bank of Montreal clients on both sides of the border Thursday morning have reported outages with banking services. BMO said its technical team is investigating.
Exorbitant fees get Gazans out with no help from Ottawa
The comforting sound of giggling grandchildren has chased away the cloud of anxiety that has loomed over Mohammed and Intisar Nofal's home for the past seven months.
Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., begins RBC Canadian Open defence
Nick Taylor begins the defence of his RBC Canadian Open title this morning.
B.C. mortgage broker ran $270-million Ponzi scheme, then fled Canada, bankruptcy trustee says
The trustee appointed to manage the bankruptcies of a Victoria mortgage company and its owner has concluded that they committed "numerous offences" and operated as a "massive Ponzi scheme."
Want to turn off Meta AI? You can't - but there are some workarounds
If you use Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram, you've probably noticed a new character pop up answering search queries or eagerly offering tidbits of information in your feeds, with varying degrees of accuracy.