Local collaboration expands access to food for newly resettled Ukrainians

Delivering food to new Ukrainian arrivals Ukrainians newcomers are getting fresh food delivered to their front door, thanks to a new collaboration. Will Aiello has the details.

Ukrainian families settling into their new homes in Waterloo region are receiving additional support thanks to a new collaboration seeking to donate healthy food to their doorsteps.

"We knew that there's a need," said Anna P., coordinator of resources for newcomers. "There are people who started coming to Canada the first week after the war started and felt that the resources were really scarce."

With the demand for food increasing, Grocery Garden, a Waterloo-based food delivery service, stepped up to ensure the newcomers were welcomed with a box of healthy food.

"So, they sign up all the families, I go on there and basically arrange the deliveries for all of those families and then we order in all the produce at our cost, and the staff and I arrange all the boxes and send them out for delivery," said Laura Oliveira, owner of Grocery Garden.

Upon signing up for the program, a box of healthy food is delivered right to the Ukrainian newcomer’s doorstep.

Heidi Sproul, a local resident who is hosting an Ukrainian family, said after seeing the stories on Ukraine, helping the inbound newcomers was something that needed to happen.

"It got me thinking about my own family and what would I do if our house was destroyed, and if we didn't have anywhere to live and what would I do and what help would I need," said Sproul.

The newcomers to the region expressed gratitude at the kindness people have extended to them as they navigate the complexities of beginning their life anew.

"Thank you so very much for everything," said Iryna Denysevych.

She noted the community was willing to share everything as they extended a warm welcome to the newly settled family