Rick Roth and his staff at Mirror Image knew they had to help Ukraine after Russians invaded the country on Feb. 24. So the Pawtucket, RI, apparel decorating company did what they do best: created a handful of T-shirt designs and put them online to raise funds for Vostok SOS, a charity recommended to Roth by his Ukrainian friends.

“I have great friends in Ukraine, and this is horrible,” said Roth, a veteran screen printer and longtime activist with Amnesty International.

Mirror Image is one of several apparel decorators and promotional products companies in the U.S. and Canada that’s been moved to help support the Ukrainian people, whether through direct donations of goods or by creating merch to raise funds.

“The situation is terrible, and T-shirts don’t feel like enough of an effort to me, but we have to do what we can, when we can, with what we’ve got,” said Pam Ikegami, who handles e-commerce and marketing at Mirror Image.

Mirror Image is selling T-shirts to raise funds for Vostok SOS, a Ukrainian relief charity.

Mirror Image’s shirts feature a Ukrainian flag across the chest. One design says in English: “Russian warship, go f*** yourself.” Another shirt has the same phrase, but in Russian. The shirt “refers to what a tiny outpost on Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea told attacking Russian warships and typifies the spirit of the Ukrainian people at this time,” according to Mirror Image’s Doing Good Merch fundraising site.

Mirror Image is selling the shirts for $20 each, pledging that $10 from each sale will go to Vostok SOS. Since launching the fundraiser, Roth said, several promo industry suppliers – including LAT Apparel (asi/65948) and Allmade Apparel (asi/34341) – have reached out to donate shirts to the fundraiser. Decorating supply company SPSI donated heat transfers to the cause as well. The donations will allow Mirror Image to send even more money for humanitarian aid, as much as $15 per shirt sale, Roth said. Lynka, an apparel decorator based in Poland, will also be selling similar fundraising T-shirts in Europe, among the many humanitarian efforts the company is taking.

“I see a lot of BS shirts that are not giving funds to the right place or just enriching themselves, and that’s wrong, in my opinion,” said Roth. “We’re not making money at $20 unless we sell thousands. That’s not the point of this. If for some reason we did make some money, I would donate that as well.”

320 Ink (asi/100317), an apparel decorating company in Maine, created a T-shirt fundraiser, noting in an Instagram post that “Maine stands with Ukraine.” All the proceeds from the shirts are going to the Save the Children fund’s efforts in Ukraine, according to the decorator.

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As it did with Mirror Image’s fundraiser, Allmade is donating T-shirts to 320 Ink’s efforts. “It’s amazing how our industry can spring into action and not only raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also bring awareness to the problem or opportunity at hand,” said Ryan Moor, CEO of Allmade Apparel, “whether it’s saving the planet, supporting small business, fighting cancer, or in this case, helping the underdog in a noble fight and supporting those affected because of it.”

Bux-Mont Awards, a Sellersville, PA-based promo distributor and awards company, created coffee mugs with an image of sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine and a symbol of resistance against the war. For each mug purchased, the shop is donating $5 to the Leleka Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit that raises funds for medical and social support projects in Ukraine.

Bux-Mont Awards in Sellersville, PA, is selling these coffee mugs to raise money for the Leleka Foundation.

Owner Dan Bencsik called the Russian invasion an “alarming attack” against both Ukraine and the concepts of democracy and freedom, noting that individuals must rise to the occasion and do what they can to end the war. “While alone, as one business, we may only be able to do one small act, I feel that this act will inspire others to do what they can to help us preserve our individual freedoms and help those in Ukraine preserve theirs,” he added.

Apparel supplier Redwood Classics (asi/81627) is raising money for the Red Cross Canada Ukraine Relief Fund. Until March 18, 10% from every online sale at redwoodclassics.net will be donated to the fund, with the government of Canada matching each dollar, according to a Redwood Classics blog post. The supplier is also launching an internal fundraising campaign at its Toronto factory and will match the total amount raised by employees.

The Redwood Classics team joins the world in expressing our deep concern and compassion for the people of Ukraine. We are launching a fundraising campaign - learn more: https://t.co/V8Dxrl35nw pic.twitter.com/EiRwmnnfBk

— Redwood Classics Apparel (@RedwoodClassics) February 28, 2022

Brighter Promotions (asi/42016) in Vernon Hills, IL, decided to donate goods directly to Ukraine. “We prepared a shipment of 12 pallets’ worth of goods” that will be airlifted out of Chicago, according to President Jeffrey Schrimmer. Among the items the supplier is sending overseas are bottles of liquid hand sanitizers, glow sticks and LED identification items. “We put together basically anything we could think of in our inventory that would be used for military or civilians,” Schrimmer said. Glow sticks, originally developed for military use, help with safety and preparedness, allowing soldiers to see at night without emitting heat or electromagnetic waves.

Brighter Promotions has Ukrainian team members, and Schrimmer has many Ukrainian-American friends he grew up with in greater Chicago. “A lot of us can trace roots back to Europe, and we’ve seen what madmen have done to people on the continent,” he said. “It needs to stop.”

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