What started out as a plea for help on Facebook in Goderich to raise donations for Ukraine has grown into a community hub.

At the beginning of the week, resident Iullia Dovzhenko posted a list of things that could be collected and sent overseas. That list included clothes, hygiene products, and non-perishable food.

Within a couple of days that had grown into a Facebook group, Huron County Hub for Ukraine, which is now volunteering out the Memorial Arena in Goderich.

Vanessa Kelly is one of those volunteers.

“It’s just been incredible to see people come out and what people are donating and the thought they’re putting into what they’re donating and asking how they can help,” said Kelly.

So far two UHaul trailers of goods have been taken down to the London Ukranian Centre. A third could be rolling south in the near future.

Kelly says creating the Facebook group has certainly helped.

“People have been sharing what’s going on and more people have been showing up,” said Kelly. “It’s been a great way for us to get the help we needed to sort donations.”

“Right now we are collecting donations, but we know the crisis in Ukraine is probably not going to be over for a while, unfortunately. So we had that idea to start the hub as a way to network and collectively work on efforts in the future that may be needed.”

The concentration now is on items such as hygiene products, baby formula, and first aid kits. Kelly says they are overflowing with clothes at this point and the London Ukranian Centre isn’t accepting any more of those items.

But the smaller stuff is needed.

“If they just bring it in a bag, we have some pretty efficient sorting tables set up now and our volunteers are just opening a bag and placing them on a table and boxing them up.”

Donations can be dropped off at the Memorial Arena in Goderich today and Saturday.