Bega Market Place exceeds expectations raising handmade gifts for children in Ukraine through 'Make, Create and Donate' initiative

She was wrong.

Tucked under tables of stock throughout her store in Rixons Arcade in Bega are more than 40 boxes filled with 1500 handmade goods.

And her storage room houses three oversized woven plastic shopping bags of not-yet-packed items.

"I'm absolutely astounded and gob-smacked and overwhelmed by the generosity of our community, but it's gone further than just Bega Valley, it's gone down to Victoria," Pam said.

A number of Bega Valley community groups had put forward donations to assist in the shipping costs to Kyiv, but Pam said those funds were still not enough to send the items internationally, so she has asked the community to help out through a GoFundMe and Christmas toy raffle at $5 a ticket.

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"We always knew it was going to cost, we always knew it was going to be expensive, but not what we're getting quoted, I mean it's absolutely outrageous what they want to send it over there," Pam said.

"I don't know, is it because of the war? The actual air costs? Petrol? Who would think that two pallets of goods would cost $13,000?"

"Here we are, a small community outlet, trying to do something for the poor children in Ukraine, that, in some cases, have lost both their parents, they've lost their whole entire family, every day they wake up to sirens and bombs, and rifles."

Partnering with GoCamp Ukraine, a volunteer program that organises free language camps throughout the country, Pam developed the "Make, Create and Donate" initiative alongside her close friend Tabitha Bilaniwskyj-Zarins.

"[We] started this well before our winter, and we need to get this over there for their winter," Pam said sternly with a chopping hand gesture showing desperation.

"It was something for the kids to know they're thought of, even though we can't do much else, let them have a little bit of a better Christmas than the last one."

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Tabitha said she thought they were going to receive a couple of boxes of handmade donations, but described the generosity as incredible and far-reaching.

"A little goes such a long way, it's lovely, we've got a lot of people in the community [with] high craftsmanship, and as it's been made, there's an energy that goes into that, an energy of positivity, love and care," Tabitha said with a smile.

"This is just people caring about each other and then it's just grown into this monstrous [thing], insane isn't it."

For more information about the GoFundMe and to support, click here

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