WestJetters volunteer with GlobalMedic in support of Ukraine

On Wednesday, March 30, more than 30 WestJetters came together alongside GlobalMedic in Toronto to build and pack Emergency Food Kits to support those affected by the conflict in Ukraine. 

At GlobalMedic's Cloverdale Mall location in Toronto, WestJet volunteers packed 1,340 kits that included culturally appropriate pantry staples like navy white beans, pasta, green split peas and buckwheat kasha. Volunteers representing teams from across the company helped label buckets, open boxes of food, pack kits, and seal and secure the finished kits on transport skids for cargo shipments. Once complete, together WestJet, WestJet Cargo and GlobalMedic will deliver more than 4,800 kits to Ukrainians in need. 

“GlobalMedic is grateful for logistics partners like WestJet, who are helping us get much-needed aid to people as quickly as possible in our response to the war in Ukraine,” said Rahul Singh, Executive Director, of the partnership between WestJet and GlobalMedic.

“We continue to offer our assistance to organizations supporting the Ukraine crisis and value our partnership with GlobalMedic whose Rapid Response Teams have been on the ground in Moldova,  Romania and Ukraine since early March supporting those affected by the conflict,” said Jenifer Badry, Manager Community Investment, WestJet. “Canada is home to more than a million Ukrainians and since the invasion more than 3.6 million people have fled Ukraine with millions more displaced. We all have a role to play in helping.  It is incredibly important for us to continue coming together as volunteers and business leaders to support Ukraine and their citizens during this humanitarian crisis.”

“Having grown up in Bosnia and being displaced due to war, I’ve been in their shoes,” said Alex Vekic, WestJet Flight Attendant and volunteer. “I’ve been on the receiving side of these kind of donations and it’s nice to be able to give back understanding the importance of this type of support."

In addition to the food kit assembly, WestJet Cargo will be assisting GlobalMedic with the transportation of the kits abroad in the coming weeks with cargo pallet shipments to London, Gatwick from Toronto. The kits will be transported onwards and distributed by GlobalMedic to families in need once they are received by local partners in Ukraine and bordering countries