We associate a lot of attributes with Ukrainians.
Hard-working. Honest. Kind. Generous.
And, of course, great cooks.
Ukrainians have also long been a big part of our communities and our province.
So when Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, you knew where the support of the people of Saskatchewan would be. And when members of the local Ukrainian community decided to host a fundraising supper Sunday to support people back home, you knew it would be a hit with local residents.
It was just a matter of how much support they would have, and if they would have enough food for everyone who wanted to dine on perogies, sausage, cabbage rolls, borscht and a bun.
The supper was supposed to start at 4 p.m., but organizers had to open the doors about 15 minutes early because of the long lineup that formed outside of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch.
It’s rare that you see people eager to eat at 4 p.m. If you do, there’s usually a reason for it. For most of us, supper would be 5 or 6 p.m. Fundraising dinners in Estevan often have a 6:30 or 7 p.m. start time.
(I often won’t have supper until at least 7 or 8 p.m.)
Nobody was complaining about a 4 p.m. start time. And it seemed like they wanted to get there early to beat the rush of people.
Normally, after a successful fundraiser, I’d write at length about how this is another example of what a great community we live in, and how generous we are. And yeah, this is a classic example of our generosity. We’ve seen a number of fundraisers for Ukraine at other businesses and organizations (again, often involving food) but this is likely the largest for Estevan.
This is also another example of how the people of Saskatchewan have been there for the people of Ukraine over the past six weeks.
According to the 2016 Census, Canada is home to nearly 1.36 million people of Ukrainian descent, making it the world’s third largest Ukrainian community, outside of Ukraine and Russia. And so many of those people who came to Canada from Ukraine ended up in the Prairie provinces.
They helped build our province. They worked in our farms and in all sectors of our economy. They became politicians and community leaders. And they’ve become our family members and friends.
Granted, we haven’t always treated those from Ukraine with the respect they deserve, especially in the early years of our province. And we’ve poked fun at them for having last names that are difficult to pronounce and spell.
But I like to think attitudes have changed drastically over the years, long before Russian President Vladimir Putin started the war with Ukraine in late February.
About 15 years ago, when Saskatchewan’s economy boomed and we were looking for people to fill jobs in all sorts of industries, we turned to Ukraine again. And we saw their hard-working people fill jobs in hospitality, agriculture, manufacturing, energy and so many other sectors. They enriched our communities when they came here.
People who are from Ukraine will tell you how happy they are to be here, how many friends they have made and how much they love their home country, where they still have a lot of friends and family.
It’s also vital for us to remember that not every person in Russia, from Russia or of Russian descent supports Putin and the war that he unnecessarily launched.
Many have spoken out, and have done so in a way far more effectively than what I could have done. I’m proud to say that one of those people is our reporter, Anastasiia Bykhovskaia. Others want to speak out, but can’t at the risk of punishment from a man who wants to imprison anyone who calls this a war.
Never forget how many wonderful Russian people are out there who want nothing to do with Putin or his invasion.
Ukraine has earned the world’s admiration for the way in which they have fought back against a far more powerful army in an effort to preserve their nation, their government and their freedoms. This has gone on far longer than most of us would have expected.
And so it’s important to show our support for Ukraine, because this conflict and its impact will carry on for a long time to come.
