Sunflowers, soup and art: How Canadians are fundraising for Ukraine
CBC
Aaron Saks wanted to find a way to raise money for the people of Ukraine. The scale of the devastation in the country seemed colossal, he said, so he started out small.
With a sunflower seed.
Saks is the president of West Coast Seeds, a company headquartered in Ladner, B.C., near Vancouver. The company is donating 100 per cent of its sales of sunflower seeds during March to the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal.
Sunflowers are Ukraine's national flower and have emerged as a global symbol of solidarity for the country.
"We thought it would be a perfect way to honour them," he said.
Their campaign has raised more than $21,000 in the first few days. They've been barely able to keep up with the demand, he said.
The fundraiser is one of hundreds of ways Canadians are getting creative in raising money for charities assisting in the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
More than 2 million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Millions more have been displaced inside the country.
From renting Ukrainian Airbnbs with no intention of visiting to selling digital artwork, people are using the power of the online marketplace to send money to those in need on a scale that hasn't been seen before, said Kate Bahen from Charity Intelligence Canada, which uses evidence-based research to assess the impact of a charity's work.
For Canadians wondering whether to donate goods or money, Bahen said research shows cash is far more effective for people in a disaster, because it's versatile.
"Giving people cash gives them resilience, gives them capital to be able to meet their needs," she said.
She said any support is good but donors should do their research to make sure their money gets to Ukrainians as quickly as possible.
"The last thing you want is for your support to be in a Canadian bank account two years from now," she said.
In recent weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has become an international icon.
Intelligence regarding foreign interference sometimes didn't make it to the prime minister's desk in 2021 because Canada's spy agency and the prime minister's national security adviser didn't always see eye to eye on the nature of the threat, according to a recent report from one of Canada's intelligence watchdogs.