Local Ukrainian, Maria Lizak, is trying to make Ukrainians feel welcomed and at home by supplying food hampers for them. 

Lizak says the food hampers, filled with Ukraninan food and spices, were sourced locally. 

“There was a store in Airdrie that was going out of business and we were able to pick up Ukrainian branded foods and some Polish brands at a very good price. It may be brands that they're familiar with. Some of the packaging, spices, and other things is all with the Cyrillic alphabet.” 

There’s a little bit of everything in these food hampers, according to Lizak, that should all feel familiar to someone coming from Ukraine. 

“We have cookies, Ukrainian brand teas and some Ukrainian candies as well. I think that might be kind of cool, especially for families with kids because they're branded with a cartoon character that's popular in Ukraine.  Some dried mushrooms, pasta, dried peas, spices for marinating chicken, fish and making a stew and a whole bunch of other things. All of these spices are all natural without preservatives.” 

What made Lizak decide to make food hampers for Ukrainians? She says since the distributor was going out of business and prices were so good, she thought it would be a nice gesture to buy enough for not only her family but other families who need it most. 

Lizak has already begun giving some of the packages away. The Ukrainian Catholic Church Lizak attends in Calgary also made 60 food hampers. 

If people would like to contact Lizak to inquire about a food basket or volunteer to make the baskets more robust, message her on facebook. 

On top of all this, Lizak says any monetary donations made through the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy, a generous Albertan-Ukrainian family will match the donations up to half a million dollars. 

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com