'It's been a godsend': Free store for Ukrainian newcomers to close Sunday

Furniture fills the Ukrainian Newcomer Free Furniture Warehouse on it's second-last day April 27, 2024. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton)

Two years and $8 million worth of beds, couches, dishes and dressers later, the Ukrainian Newcomer Free Furniture Warehouse is closing its doors.

The store was created to help Ukrainians settling in the Edmonton area after fleeing the war, and it has served more than 16,000 families since. Sunday will be its last day.

The warehouse was donated by the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Lodge 146 and it was run by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Alberta Provincial Council (UCC-APC).

Many newcomers arrived in Edmonton with few belongings. They were able to come to the store to furnish their new homes for free.

"It's been a godsend for them because they don't have to spend the little money they've got on furniture," said warehouse manager Mary Anne Pyszcz.

"They're so grateful, they say they keep us in their prayers," Pyszcz said. "They can't believe that Canadians actually donate all this stuff."

The store is closing because the need has diminished, due to the end of a federal program authorizing emergency travel from Ukraine, said UCC-APC president Orysia Boychuck.

"We were here to help fill a gap, fill a gap in support, a critical need," Boychuck said. "That need has been filled, that goal has been achieved, and we are now ready to move on to other programs and support."

Boychuck said it's bittersweet to say goodbye. While she's glad the warehouse was able to help so many people, she'll miss the store.

"It is an emotional day," she added. "That community that was formed here is coming to an end."

"We bonded, everybody has bonded, it's almost sad that we've been together for that long," Pyszcz said.

More than 35,000 volunteer hours went into the store, and Boychuck said two years would have been impossible without the help of Edmontonians, local businesses and other organizations.

"There's been extraordinary humanitarian good will that has come forward in the two years, and we're so, so pleased," she added.

The UCC-APC has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to help continue providing services to newcomers arriving after the store's closure. https://hfh.org/

Newcomers can also access education, employment, mental health and integration programs at the UCC-APP.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Galen McDougall