People across Windsor-Essex have answered a call for donations to help people in Ukraine.
Thousands of items are now being sorted and packaged as part of the 'Fill A Plane For Ukraine' collection drive.
Donations were collected at various sites in the Leamington area over the weekend, which will now be loaded onto a transport truck and taken to Toronto, to then be flown to Ukraine to help people being impacted by Russia's invasion of their country.
Mike Diab is one of the organizers of the campaign along with several other community and business leaders.
He says people really stepped up to buy items to donate.
"We heard a lot of the local pharmacies were sold out of medical supplies, sold out of reusable water bottles, many items they normally aren't sold out of. It's because so many people answered the call," says Diab. "Hundreds if not thousands of pieces of first aid. Medical kits, like first aid kits. Boots, plenty of high quality work boots were donated, quite a bit of clothing, hats and gloves."
A woman donated a blanket to the Fill A Plane for Ukraine campaign in Leamington that included a note indicating her late mother, who was born in Ukraine, would have wanted the blanket sent back to Ukraine. March 6, 2022 (Photo courtesy of Mike Diab)
He says one woman even brought a blanket in with a note on it.
"She posted a note saying her mother had passed away recently and she knew this blanket would be something her mother would want sent back to Ukraine, "Diab says. "That touched us quite a bit and we knew why we were doing, what we were doing."
The items requested in the call for donations was based on conversations with the Ukrainian Consulate - which had asked for items like medical supplies, first aid kits, reusable water bottles, sleeping bags, socks, shoes, gloves.