'We needed to do something': Stonewall group giving Ukrainian families shopping spree of donations

Donations of clothes, toys, bikes and more have been piled high in the arena in Stonewall ready for Ukrainian families to arrive – an effort to help them settle in Canada after being forced to flee their homes.

Antonella Bertone, the organizer of the event on the Interlake Ukrainian Immigration Resource Facebook page, said the group had been looking at ways to help with the immigration process for the Ukrainian families coming to Winnipeg.

"In 2022, we shouldn't be watching TV and seeing the war. We shouldn't have kids coming to our airport needing help, or travelling with their parents with one backpack. This is why we need to do this," Bertone told CTV News.

"We decided that we needed to do something a little bit more rather than just helping certain families."

It prompted the group to put out a simple call on Facebook asking for clothes – but it soon transformed into a donation drive spanning from Winnipeg up into the Interlake. They collected enough donations to fill a Stonewall hockey arena.

After hours and hours of work from volunteers, Bertone said the donations are ready to find their new homes.

This weekend, the group will be picking up Ukrainian families staying in hotels in Winnipeg and bringing them to Stonewall where they can browse the donations and take what they need for free.

"Some of them have come with just a backpack. So they'll be able to get some clothes to get them through our hot summers, and maybe into our fall," she said.

She said while the group no longer needs donations, there are more ways to help the families. She said more details on ways to help can be found on the Interlake Ukrainian Immigration Resource Facebook page.