Castlegar resident Olga Hallborg has been feeling helpless as she watches from afar as her hometown of Mykolaiv, Ukraine is battered by Russian airstrikes.

That feeling changed somewhat after a crowd gathered in front of Castlegar City Hall on Sunday to show support for Ukrainians suffering under the recent .

乌鸦传媒淲e did something good by gathering and encouraging people to support Ukrainian people through the Canadian Red Cross and other organizations,乌鸦传媒� said Hallborg, who organized the gathering.

乌鸦传媒淪o I feel less helpless and more empowered through the community support 乌鸦传媒� My heart is filled with appreciation and hope.乌鸦传媒�

Hallborg has been in contact with friends and family members in Mykolaiv, a city of 500,000 near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, throughout the invasion.

What she has heard is that the people are in need of food, clothing, shelter and medications as homes and apartment buildings are destroyed, hospitals are treating the wounded and the shelves of grocery stores are emptied.

Photos and video footage from the city show damage to the point that Hallborg says she has a hard time recognizing parts of her hometown. Blown-up tanks, shattered glass and rubble fill the streets.

乌鸦传媒淭hey are already in a humanitarian crisis, but things are only going to get worse,乌鸦传媒� said Hallborg.

She is trying to keep close tabs on those she loves 乌鸦传媒� checking in with as many of them as possible first thing every morning and again at the end of the day.

乌鸦传媒淵esterday they were hiding in shelters from missiles,乌鸦传媒� said Hallborg.

But she said not everyone takes the same precautions.

乌鸦传媒淪ome don乌鸦传媒檛 and they stay in their apartments, hoping for the best.乌鸦传媒�

When Hallborg connected with one of her friends 乌鸦传媒� a physician 乌鸦传媒� she was making a long walk to work since transportation is unavailable. Rather than hide in a shelter, she is trudging on.

乌鸦传媒淪he feels like she needs to continue to provide people with care. Nobody discontinued COVID there, people are still getting sick, now probably more than ever,乌鸦传媒� said Hallborg.

Another friend 乌鸦传媒� a teacher 乌鸦传媒� is doing the same. Even though school is not in session, teachers are trying to check on the well being of students and trying to connect them with learning opportunities.

As Hallborg connects with her relatives, what she hears impacts her across the miles.

乌鸦传媒淚f their night was a nightmare, I can not get settled and I am trying to think about what I can do and how I can help.乌鸦传媒�

And that is partially how she came up with the idea for a local rally and campaign to encourage people to donate to Ukrainians in need.

乌鸦传媒淥n Saturday I was helpless, angry, disoriented and fearful, yet brave. It is a mix of feelings 乌鸦传媒� wishing I was there to help, but at the same time, being relieved that my immediate family and myself are safe here. They are very contradictory feelings that are hard to explain.乌鸦传媒�

Hallborg said the local support, plus what she has seen across Canada and the world, even including protests in Russia, has touched her heart. Especially touching was the support from those with Russian Doukhobor heritage.

乌鸦传媒淢any were crying with us and praying for Ukraine,乌鸦传媒� she said.

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Hallborg says there was a lot of emotion at the local gathering.

乌鸦传媒淚 understand the anger against Russia in general, but we shouldn乌鸦传媒檛 be hating Russians 乌鸦传媒� not every Russian person wanted the war. It is a very complex history between Russia and Ukraine.

乌鸦传媒淚 am very angry with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and his government. I blame money and the desire for power 乌鸦传媒� greediness is what brought about this aggression.乌鸦传媒�

Hallborg has sent images, messages and news of donations to humanitarian organizations from the rally on to her contacts in Ukraine.

乌鸦传媒淢y friends really appreciated it. I didn乌鸦传媒檛 know if they would care about what happened in some small town across the ocean 乌鸦传媒� but they actually did care.乌鸦传媒�

One of those friends posted photos of the rally to informational Facebook groups in Mykolaiv.

乌鸦传媒淪he said those pictures of us in Castlegar, standing with our posters and Ukrainian flags showed people that somewhere in the world, people cared about them.乌鸦传媒�

If you would like to send help to Ukraine, donations can be made through the and the .

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betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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