Donations for Ukraine keep coming from Simcoe County as benefit concert planning begins

A group of volunteers spent much of their day Friday filling a large sea container with donations from Simcoe County residents for those in need in Ukraine.

Friday's effort is just the latest from the group, who have already sent seven trailers filled with donations over the last month. But on Friday, they filled a 40-foot sea container with donations from people across the Simcoe and Muskoka areas.

"We've been very overwhelmed at the amount of donations," says Rene Diamante, one of the organizers whose wife is of Ukrainian descent. "We need to have the items to send to Ukraine, especially for the children, the orphans and all that, that was very key to us. We saw the horror when watching some of the news media, and it was just disgusting what was happening. We said we have to step in and do something."

The donations have come from across the region, with people from as south as Bradford to as north as Huntsville providing what they can.

The shipping container is now on route to Poland. From there, local volunteer agencies will get the items to some of the hardest-hit areas of Eastern Ukraine, including Kharkiv and Kherson.

The group first connected at rallies ahead of and at the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Since then, they have formed a Facebook group, which has continued to grow.

"All the cities around have connected with us, and now we've become a huge community," says Tatiana Diamante, Rene's wife. "It's not just Ukrainian, anybody and everybody in the area. It's amazing."

The group says it's already in the process of arranging to send another 40-foot storage container filled with donations. While the donations keep coming and are so appreciated, the Diamantes say they are asking for more financial support to cover the transportation costs.

"The problem is, to send these containers across over to Europe, to Poland and get them into Ukraine; unfortunately, there are so many other obstacles involved, financially involved," says Rene. "So we need that financial assistance to pay for the shipping, pay for the brokerage, pay for all that."

In addition to facilitating all of the incoming donations, there is also planning underway for a benefit concert early next month. It will be the latest stop on what is becoming a growing tour for Vasyl Popadiuk and the Papa Duke Band.

The funds from the concert by Popadiuk, who plays the violin, will go towards Save the Children's work in Ukraine.

"It's amazing, even for kids," says Tatiana. "The artist, it's unbelievable what he does with a violin. Nobody can do this. Nobody in the world."

The concert will be held on May 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Georgian College's theatre. If you would like tickets, you can click here.