Edmonton tactical shop flooded with customers, donations to send to Ukraine

One Edmonton tactical shop is busier than ever, as Edmontonians and Ukrainian Canadians look to purchase gear to send to Ukraine.

The store, Battle Rattle Tactical Supplies, can barely keep up with demand.

Jeremy Dunford, who owns the store, said there's been a massive influx of inquiries since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. All of them are looking for ways to support Ukraine, he said.

"What they've been doing is coming in and purchasing protective equipment, boots, blankets, sleeping bags, all that kind of stuff to send over to Ukraine to help out," Dunford said Saturday. 

All the gear and supplies will be sent to Ukrainian Canadian Congress and flown to Poland, something Dunford helped out with financially.

Dunford said he loves helping the community in any way that he can, and this is one concrete way of doing that. 

"This is a way our business can really help is by being a place where people can pick up stuff to donate, being a place where people can drop off donations," Dunford said. 

Jerry Stefanyschyn and his wife, customers of the store, hoped to gather a couple of hundred dollars in donations, but ended up with more than $2,000 and a whole trunk of supplies.

"I would like to be there to help, but for now I can't," he said.

Stefanyshyn left Ukraine with his family in 1974, and said watching the invasion play out on television has been difficult.

"You feel so helpless for it, just watching. So we figured we'd better do something right. And I mean, Canada has been good to me. So I've got to do something for my countrymen besides going down there, right?" he said.