Members of a local service club are hoping to see Chatham-Kent shine with sunflowers this summer as part of an effort to support humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
The Rotary Club of Chatham Sunrise has launched a fundraiser campaign that asks for a $5 donation in exchange for a packet of sunflower seeds. With 2,000 packets to distribute, the club’s goal is to raise $10,000 by June.
“We’d like all of the residents of Chatham-Kent to plant them in their front gardens, to plant them near rural mailboxes or 911 numbers, so we can show the world that we care about Ukraine,” Paul Roy, Sunrise member and chair of the project, said in an interview.
The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine and, in recent months, has become a symbol against Russia’s invasion of the country. The variety being distributed as part of this campaign is called Ukrainian sunrise from Veseys Seeds.
According to the club, these sunflowers are a “medium-tall plant and should not require staking.”
The funds will be sent to Rotary International, which will distribute them to clubs in the Ukraine working on humanitarian efforts.
“As a Rotary Club, we wanted to get involved with a fundraiser for Ukraine,” Roy said. “We’re very connected to agriculture in this part of the world and we know Ukraine produces a lot of food for the world.”
During a Wednesday news conference, Roy shared memories of visiting Odessa in Ukraine in 1986 as part of a trade mission to the Soviet Union with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture.
Guests also heard from John Cowan, the president of North American Plant Genetics, which supplies seeds from crops like corn and soybeans with Ontario-developed genetics to Ukraine.
Cowan, who was previously with Hyland Seeds and Thompsons Ltd. in Blenheim, said the war is already affecting agriculture in Ukraine. Areas like North Africa and the Middle East rely heavily on imports from Ukraine, he said.
The club has said it will distribute the sunflower seeds from the campaign to about 40 businesses. People can find them in these stores, contact a Rotary Sunrise member or email [email protected].