The Moose Jaw Multicultural Council (MJMC) can now meet the needs of newly arrived immigrants more quickly thanks to a donation from the former parish of St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Jean Tkatch, former church board president, and Amy Jane Lunov, former treasurer, visited the MJMC office on Sept. 28 and presented a cheque for $28,000. Stefanie Palmer, executive director, and Jaella Wiebe, settlement services manager, accepted on behalf of the organization.
“It’s awesome. It will help many people over the next little while,” Palmer said.
“It makes a difference in people’s lives, often because they’re in very difficult situations,” agreed Wiebe.
Caring for immigrants
The money will support the Multicultural Council’s Saskatchewan Cares Fund, which meets newcomers’ immediate needs such as acquiring a driver’s licence, buying groceries, or attaining job skills training, said Palmer. This money is welcomed — and a very nice surprise.
“We’re very, very grateful. It’s helpful too because we have good core funding for our programs, but they don’t always allow us to support our clients in ways they need actual physical things,” Palmer said. “… we can’t necessarily buy them groceries if they’re struggling or things like that.”
The Multicultural Council knows some immigrants have support, but it could be months before they receive a job or other assistance, she pointed out. Immigrants who come for work need proof of their finances, while refugees usually depend on often-delayed government support.
“Some of the Ukrainian immigrants that are coming, they’re all women with little kids, basically,” said Tkatch.
The last penny
St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church had only five members but plenty of money when it closed in November 2021, so the remaining parishioners decided to donate to local organizations, Lunov explained. Since closing, the parish has donated around $250,000 to about seven groups.
“We have no more money left to give,” Lunov laughed.
“That’s the last cheque, the last penny,” chuckled Tkatch.
Tkatch and Lunov chose the Multicultural Council for two reasons.
Firstly, Tkatch used to interact regularly with the MJMC when the Moose Jaw Ukrainian Society existed and knew the work the organization did with immigrants. Secondly, the organization helped Ukrainian refugee Julia Maksymenko after she arrived in Moose Jaw last April.
The parishioners had set aside money from the building’s sale for a physical memorial, but then Russia invaded Ukraine in February and “the situation of the world changed,” Lunov said.
“Jean and I spoke, and we decided the money would be better spent on the living instead of the dead, so we scaled back the memorial,” she continued.
A small group gathered in Rosedale Cemetery on Sept. 19 — St. Vladimir Day — for a service to honour former parishioners who had supported the church and community. They used some money for a bilingual memorial in section 19 and supported the installation of two benches in Crescent Park dedicated to the parish.
A newcomer food bank
The Multicultural Council is considering starting a small food bank for newcomers — still in the planning stages — and could use this donation for that project, said Palmer. There is a need to address food security issues, especially with new immigrants.
“There are also specific situations in which someone might need to access food more often than the food bank is able to give … which has happened before in the past,” said Wiebe. “(This) could provide a little bit of a backup assistance when people are in those complex situations.”
This newcomer-focused food bank — which could open in a few months — would be targeted at the MJMC’s clients and would support, not replace, the main food bank, Palmer added. The organization simply wants to help its clients who are struggling.
