Iness Kojlo packing with volunteers Friday afternoon at her European Deli & Bistro store Viva-Deli. (Iness Kojlo)

By Alessia Proietti

Taking Action

Red Deer woman brings province together for Ukraine

Mar 6, 2022 | 9:43 AM

Red Deer is quickly becoming the hub in Alberta for Ukrainian efforts, with people from Edmonton and Calgary sending donations, and it may be because of one local woman.

“I can’t stay home and sit in a warm couch and watch people dying from hunger and the cold,” said Iness Kojlo.

On Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin, declared a “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine, sending the first missiles.

That same day, Kojlo started to bring people together in Red Deer with her first rally on Gaetz Ave. outside Cilantro and Chive.

Hosting another on Feb. 26, the crowd gradually started to enlarge, spreading awareness about the war in Ukraine and advocating to end the violence. Kojlo was also present for the gathering at City Hall last Sunday.

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But Kojlo wanted to do more. Hearing that the Ukrainian National Federation, a cultural organization in Edmonton, was collecting donations to be sent overseas, she started to spread the word in Red Deer.

Locals began to reach out, wondering how they could help and how their donations would make their way to Edmonton.

It was then that Kojlo opened the doors to her store Viva-Deli, a European Deli & Bistro where nearly 40 per cent of her products come from Ukraine, for donation drop-off. She would then use her work truck to deliver the donations herself to Edmonton.

“I want to cry every time because people come and they have tears in their eyes,” said Kojlo. “It would be nice if we were donating for some fundraiser for school to go to a trip.”

Volunteers packing donation boxes into a truck outside Iness Kojlo’s store Viva-Deli. (Iness Kojlo)

She received a list from the Federation of desirable items: food, clothes, blankets, and medical supplies. Kojlo also collected military items like helmets, radio transmitters, and bullet proof vests.

“The guys who are trying to protect the country right now, it’s like your brother, it’s not the army,” she said. “They need something that is going to save their life.”

Apart from the material collections, residents donated $6,000 in cash and $1,500 in e-transfers. But money only goes so far, as connections abroad have shared with Kojlo that gaining access to funds is becoming challenging and so physical products are more beneficial.

She described how one of her friends, previously from Airdrie and now living in Ukraine with his wife and four-month old daughter, are struggling to purchase baby formula. To ship a skid from Calgary, would cost a few thousand dollars.

But Kojlo hit another bump in the road when the Federation in Edmonton began having trouble with their shipment plans. She said the organization told her the initial plane was now going to cost them thousands of dollars, more than anticipated, and they would need to speak with government officials to request aid, which could take an undetermined amount of extra time.

“I’m scared all this is for nothing,” she said.

Kojlo took matters into her own hands, inquiring with airports in Calgary, only to find out it would cost a similar amount to transport all the donations. Prioritizing the medical equipment, she agreed to pay $3,500 in plane fees alone just to ship those items as quickly as possible.

For the rest of the donations, she came up with a plan. A Ukranian friend and truck driver in Red Deer, Mykola Boychuk, offered to haul the donations to Toronto, where an international shipping company called Meest is currently transporting goods to Warsaw, Poland and then to Ukraine at little to no cost.

The news circulating fast, people from Edmonton and Calgary were brining their donations to Kojlo before Boychuk left Saturday morning.

Volunteers at Viva-Deli. (Iness Kojlo)

Initially from Germany, Kojlo’s husband is Ukrainian, with his mother and extended family members still overseas. She said although her heart breaks when her mother-in-law says goodbye like it’s the last after each phone call, it’s not the only reason why she wants to help.

“I’m just human; just a regular person like you and me. Nothing special,” she said.

Running these initiatives while running two stores and a factory, Kojlo says she has put her life on hold, reaching close to bankruptcy after not qualifying for government aid during the pandemic. However, she says this fact doesn’t matter; what’s more important is helping others in the fight for freedom and peace.

“Is it going to be the last shipping? No, it’s just the beginning,” she said.

Once this shipment is sent, Kojlo plans to focus more on medical supplies rather than food items.