After seeing people in Cambridge and around the world getting creative and resourceful to send useful things to Ukraine to help the country's defense against Russian invaders, the Borshevetsky family knew they couldn't sit back and do nothing.
Originally from Russia, Alexey Borshevetsky is of Ukrainian and Polish descent but has been living in Canada since 2010, long before the conflict began.
"I've been here for a long time and I have family on both sides of the issue, but I knew I needed to get involved somehow," said Borshevetsky.
While browsing online one day Borshevetsky and his wife Katerina found an old ambulance for sale and thought this could be a good project and something different to send overseas.
"I am mechanically inclined and like to work on my own vehicles, so I thought we could do this and send it over," he added. "You are seeing people send over food, clothing, buying up all the drones they can, but I've never seen anyone send over an ambulance."
Borshevetsky jokes that this could be the first crowd-sourced war in the history of humanity, but any efforts they can make to help Ukraine they will take.
He has been in contact with overseas non-profit SAB UA, an Estonian based organization working to provide decommissioned ambulances and other equipment to the front lines, and shuttle the injured to local hospitals.
The non-profit will help with the shipment of the truck and is now in the process of getting it mechanically dialed-in so it's ready to go when it arrives in Europe.
"This is where it gets tricky," said Borshevetsky. "It's not the easiest thing to transport a vehicle across the world, let alone an ambulance."
The Borshevetskys will have to drive the vehicle to Halifax where it will be loaded onto a ship and sent off to SAB UA in Estonia.
Once in the neighbouring country, a new coat of paint will be applied and immediately sent to the front lines to transport patients to hospitals and out of danger.
Originally the cost of the ambulance and its refurbishment was going to come right out of pocket and that is still the plan, but Borshevetsky is now turning to the community to help cover some of the costs.
"We set up a GoFundme to just help with some of the costs as fixing up one of these things isn't cheap," he said. "No matter what, this thing is going on the ship by the end of July and then off to war."
Updates will be provided to the Cambridge family from Ukraine as the ambulance embarks on the mission of it's life.
"That huge cargo plane in Toronto that was seized would have made a great transport to Ukraine, but I think that might be a little out of the question," joked Borshevetsky.
Donations can be made to Borshevetsky on his GoFundme page and updates will be posted as they become available.
