How to help Ukraine: How can I help Ukraine in Edinburgh and best places to donate to Ukraine

People around the world have come together to donate time, supplies, and money to people in Ukraine.

As the conflict in Ukraine continues and more people in the country are forced to flee, people around the world are looking for ways to help.

In Edinburgh, local groups and people have pulled together to donate money and supplies to those who need it.

Here’s a variety of ways that you can help those affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

European Council President Charles Michel (right) speaks with a distraught Ukrainian woman arriving at the Ukraine border to Poland as Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (left) looks on during a visit by the two leaders to the border crossing on March 2nd in Korczowa, Poland. Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

How can I help Ukraine in Edinburgh?

Ukrainian expat organisations have led the push to donate supplies and money to those in need.

The Edinburgh Ukrainian Club

A woman walks past anti-war graffiti in support of Ukraine, painted on shutters in Dublin city centre. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire.

The club has put a call for donations, asking for “toiletries and ladies sanitary products, medicines, bandages, painkillers, as well as none perishable food such as instant coffee, tea, hot chocolate, chocolate bars, energy bars, pot noodles”.

They are also accepting adults and children’s clothes and shoes, sleeping bags, camping mats.

The community centre at 14 Royal Terrace will be open on Wednesdays between 6pm and 8pm, Fridays between 2pm and 6pm, and on Mondays between 10am and 1pm, for the foreseeable future.

The organisers ask for donations to be given in bags labelled with what they contain.

Lemon & Thyme Restaurant

Piotr Dziedzic of Lemon and Thyme Restaurant in the Scottish Borders is organising collection for “personal hygiene products (deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste), sanitary products, wet wipes and pampers, first aid kits (from bandages to paracetamol and ibuprofen), baby food, pet food, foods (canned fruit and veg, anything that doesn’t need [a] fridge, cereal bars, dried fruits, cereal, soup, non-dairy milk), thermal blankets, sleeping bags, raincoats, water purifying tablets, batteries and chargers”.

There are three collection points in Edinburgh, at Tattu Restaurant at 18 West Register Street, Lovecrumbs at 155 West Port, and The Street at 2B Picardy Place, with a deadline of late evening on Friday March 4th.

Piecebox Cafe

The owner of Piecebox Cafe coordinated efforts to donate supplies to the Edinburgh Ukrainian Club, offering to drive the van of goods to Poland if need be.

Best places to donate to Ukraine

Set up in 2005 by Hibs supporters, the Dnipro Appeal Charity offers help and support for orphaned children at the numerous orphanages and foster homes within the city. Find out more about how to donate here.

There are also various national organisations working to support and help the Ukrainian people.

For example, the Red Cross are running a fundraising appeal for Ukraine, which you can find here. Your donation will go towards food, water, first aid and medicines, warm clothes, and shelter.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has launched an emergency appeal to send more resources to Ukraine’s neighbours, ready to assist with the hundreds of thousands of refugees heading their way.

The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) set up the #HelpUkraine appeal to raise money to offer medicine, food, and vital services to registered Ukrainian charities.

Voices of Children is a charity that helps children affected by the war in eastern Ukraine by providing psychological and psychosocial support. You can donate to specific programmes.

Save the Children has also launched an emergency fund to fund essential humanitarian aid targeted at children, including psychological support, winter and hygiene kits, education, and cash grants for families.

Sunflower of Peace prepares first aid medical backpacks for lifesaving paramedics and doctors, with each backpack saving “up to 10 lives”. Head to Sunflower of Peace’s Facebook page to support the campaign.

Revived Soldiers of Ukraine delivers humanitarian and medical aid to both Ukrainian soldiers and their families.