As conflict rages on between Russia and Ukraine, Annex business Juxtapose is doing their part to help Ukraine.

For years, Juxtapose, a gift shop and boutique located at 430 Bloor St. W., has been offering a gift-wrapping service to raise money for charities. Customers can bring in gifts purchased elsewhere and staff at Juxtapose will wrap them for a fee based on their size. The proceeds from this gift-wrapping service are donated to a charity, which changes every year. Past charities included Operation Smile, Second Harvest Canada, Women in Motion, and Black Lives Matter Foundation.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Juxtapose decided to donate their charitable funds to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF). However, this year they are stepping up their fundraising tactics. Since the start of April, Juxtapose has been selling gift bags to customers, and one hundred per cent of the proceeds from these sales are donated to the CUF. These gift bags contain various odds and ends from the store such as soap, candles,  jewelry and reusable tote bags. This campaign will run until all the bags are sold, and while prices for the gift bags range from $5 to $45, Juxtapose is also happy to pass on any additional donations from customers directly to the CUF.

Founded in 1994, the CUF provides commercial, technical, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. Even before the war, donations of medicine, food, and hygienic kits were vital for those who lived in martyred cities in Ukraine. Now, the CUF is depending on donations more than ever to assist Ukrainians who have been displaced and endangered by the war, including over 14 million refugees, according to the United Nations, who have been displaced by the conflict.

With this in mind, Juxtapose continues their charity campaign for the CUF and invites  shoppers to visit the store and purchase their very own bag of goodies. 

—Fox Oliver/Gleaner News