A California-based apparel supplier has established a powerful new program to help Ukrainian refugees, and they’re asking the promo industry for assistance.

Los Angeles-based BELLA+CANVAS (asi/39590) is now using its European supply lines and connections with the United Nations (UN) to get essential items into the hands of Ukrainian refugees quickly, and they’re calling for donations.

Ukrainian refugees crossed into Romania on foot earlier this month to escape the Russian invasion.

During the pandemic, the teams at BELLA+CANVAS and sister company Alo had to think outside the box to continue moving product around the world, due to supply chain and port woes. So they partnered with an air cargo charter company owned by a Ukrainian businessman and hired 747s and other planes to move mask materials back and forth to Central America for manufacturing, as well as to ship product to and from Europe and Asia.

When the Russians invaded Ukraine in February, the companies quickly mobilized to scale refugee donation efforts. Through Alo’s existing 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, Alo Gives, they redeployed their use of cargo planes and quickly established a relationship with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The access to planes, warehousing and global logistical resources, combined with the UNHCR collaboration, led to the establishment of the Ukraine Aid Program, in which Alo Gives will transport vital goods to Ukrainian refugees within a matter of days.

“As it turns out, our global supply chain is uniquely positioned to provide a flow of support supplies to the people of Ukraine,” says Chris Blakeslee, president of BELLA+CANVAS. “Based on their current needs, our industry is well suited to help more than most. Not only are we donating container loads of our own products, but we also want to leverage our nonprofit foundation along with our labor, facilities and other resources to make it easy for our industry peers and partners to join us.”

There are specific items that the UNHCR says are most needed for Ukrainian refugees, many of which are quite prevalent within the promo industry. Individuals and companies interested in donating are asked to cover the cost of goods and shipment (which are 100% tax-deductible through Alo Gives) to BELLA+CANVAS’s Maryland warehouse, preferably in pallet quantities for maximum efficiency.

“As it turns out, our global supply chain is uniquely positioned to provide a flow of support supplies to the people of Ukraine. Based on their current needs, our industry is well suited to help more than most.” Chris Blakeslee, BELLA+CANVAS

Alo Gives will take care of getting the items on planes at a New York City-area airport, which will fly directly to Poland and surrounding countries. The supplies will then be trucked directly to the refugee areas and handed over to the Polish government or UNHCR. The company will manage any 3PL ground support to get products where they are needed most. Blakeslee says the process should only take a few days to reach the refugees.

The full list of needed items (double asterisks denotes high priority) includes products like bags, apparel, drinkware, coolers and power banks, which are becoming increasingly critical as the Russians threaten to cut the country’s power grid.

To expedite the process, those interested in donating are asked first to email ukrainesupport@alogives.org, and include company information and a list of products and quantities for intended shipment to the Maryland warehouse. Alo Gives will then send back instructions and forms, including shipment authorization and the warehouse shipping address. Contributors are asked to ship in pallet quantities (at 48L x 40W x 53H, stackable and shrink-wrapped) and minimize the amount of packing materials inside, since disposal of trash at refugee sites can be difficult.

Alo Gives is also accepting monetary donations for product and shipping costs; simply email ukrainesupport@alogives.org for more information. Interested donors can also contact the relief effort team at (888) 444-1697 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT, or visit alogives.org.

“The ramp-up speed of this process would be hard even for the world’s leading aid agencies to replicate at this time, and we already have four containers of our products on their way,” says Blakeslee. “Our industry can do something no other can do, so let’s make it happen!”