A core tenet of Salvage Renaissance is sticking up for what we believe in and sticking it out through the difficult times. For the past year and a half, we have been sticking up for and sticking with the brave people of Ukraine as they fight against Russia. Our founder, Mary Epner, has helped with Ukrainian relief efforts since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian War in February 2022. At the start of the war, she delivered vital supplies to the Ukrainian border through the organization Help Ukraine 22, which provided immediate relief throughout Ukraine. The work wasn’t done there, though. Mary went back to Ukraine in January to further help Ukraine: this time by consulting with Ukrainian artists to build a collection of Ukrainian-made merchandise to continually support the war effort. 100% of sales (not just proceeds!) from our Ukraine collection go back to Help Ukraine 22, which now aids Ukraine’s rebuilding efforts.
One of the Ukrainian artists whose work we feature is Denys Metelin, a Lviv-based street artist. He created a graphic of President Zelenskyy, who has inspired the world with his bravery and resolve, with the caption “VICTORY.” We created this collection to both help raise funds for Ukrainian rebuilding efforts and to remind Americans that there are ways they can help Ukraine, even if they seem small.
An important aspect of sticking with what we believe in is finding all the ways we can help a cause. One of our friends recently shared with us a fundraiser for animals affected by the Kherson flood crisis. For those who don’t know, Russia recently blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam in southern Ukraine, which caused mass flooding and required mass evacuation. With all of this, it is important to help everyone affected by this crisis, whether they are human or animal. It was too late to save many zoo and farm animals, so we want to make sure that the rest of the animals in the area, especially shelter animals, are able to reach safety. If you want to learn more about the relief efforts, please click this link: https://www.facebook.com/donate/2241140726074794/.