Huntsville, Ont. man prepares to fly overseas to help Ukrainian refugees

A Huntsville, Ont. man is preparing to fly to Poland to help with humanitarian aid after hearing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky call for international support.

"Let's help in any way that we can," Trevor MacDonald said while sitting in a downtown Huntsville coffee shop.

The United Nations are labelling the Russian invasion of Ukraine as the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War.

MacDonald said he was so moved after listening to President Zelensky he immediately started the process to lend a hand.

"We don't want to be a liability for anyone. We just want to help out the people that drastically need it right now," he said.

MacDonald won't be on the front-lines; instead, he will head to Poland and Hungary to volunteer with humanitarian organizations.

And the 36-year-old won't be making the trek overseas alone; fellow Ontarian Robbie Walker will join him.

"If you can help out in one per cent or point five per cent, why wouldn't you, right?" Walker said via FaceTime from Oshawa.

Walker said his brother, who has medical training, had been in Poland since the war began, inspiring him to help.

Both Walker and MacDonald were strangers before last week but connected through social media and began brainstorming ways to help Ukrainian refugees.

Get the latest updates on Russia's attack on Ukraine.

On Monday, Walker gave CTV News a tour of the bags of winter clothing and closed-toed shoes they will bring to Poland and Hungary.

A Bobcaygeon clothing company donated dozens of sweaters, toques, and other winter apparel.

"When I heard Robbie was going over to Ukraine, there was no doubt in my mind that we were going to give something," said Kimberly Dawn, the owner of Kicking Cowgirl Designs.

"I just started pulling things off the shelves," she added.

Dawn donated thousands of dollars worth of men's and women's clothing to show support for the Ukrainian refugees.

Daria Coulombe is a Ukrainian native living in Muskoka who said that everything is appreciated, whether flying overseas, wearing a blue and yellow ribbon or providing donations.

"When I found out, it just proved to me that Canadians have a big heart," she said.

As time ticks down to take off, both MacDonald and Walker are mentally preparing for what they could encounter.

"We have families. We have loved ones. We want to come back and tell our story and continue to help. We don't want this to be a one-way trip," said MacDonald.

On Wednesday, the two plan on arriving in Warsaw, Poland, before taking a train to Budapest, Hungary - a mission that they said could last two weeks or longer.

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