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Royal Catering may have bid its final farewell, but its people remain an integral part of the community.
The company's owner, Carol Slukynski, is behind several different initiatives to support Ukrainian refugees arriving in Fort Saskatchewan and surrounding areas.
She plays a key role in Hosting Ukrainians in Fort Saskatchewan (HUFS), an organization dedicated to finding accommodation and other assistance for refugees. Additionally, Slukynski has helped to facilitate Hello Ukraine, a concert fundraiser taking place later this month at the Shell Theatre.
Furthermore, she recently sponsored a trio of men from Ukraine and strives to raise the community's awareness of newcomers.
Slukynski told FortSaskOnline.com that her family is all immediately from the European country -- her grandfather left Ukraine after World War II.
"He was a newcomer to Canada, and it was a stranger that helped him get to Canada. Without that stranger, I would not be here today to tell this story, so I'm passionate in that way, but I'm also passionate because I understand the need for support for Ukrainian newcomers."
Slukynski is sponsoring Vologymyr Brytanov, 27, Mark Fedorov, 22, and Ihor Veretenin, 24, who all recently arrived in Canada.
She's helped them with everything from furnishing their new home to obtaining a driver's licence. All three said that the support from Slukynski and the greater community has been "incredible," and they have found full-time employment with a local construction company.
"We got a lot of help in terms of accommodation; Carol helped us find decent accommodation here in Fort Saskatchewan. Also, we found a good-paying job here – she's helping us with a lot of organizational issues that we're facing right now," Volodymyr explained.
Ihor explained the most beautiful thing he's noticed about the community so far is how friendly everyone is and that he's looking forward to learning English and getting to know new people and Canadian culture.
"It's a very safe, peaceful, and friendly community here. It's always something that we would imagine about Canada because only in this town we experience this kind of Canadian spirit of friendliness," said Mark
Tickets are still available for Hello Ukraine, a Ukrainian song and dance showcase supporting newcomers. The concert will take place at the Shell Theatre on June 26 at 7 p.m.; tickets can be found here.