Bargain Basket's March to Help Ukraine Raises $38,000 for Ukrainian Children's Orphanage

“What happened over the course of March was truly extraordinary,” Pastor Mark Williams enthusiastically told the congregation at United Church of Marco Island Sunday morning. Then he presented an oversized check for $38,801.05 to Barbara Rojek, a Bargain Basket team member from Poland who birthed the idea of raising money for orphaned children in Ukraine. Williams credited two Coastal Breeze News articles with playing a big role in helping to unite the community behind the fundraiser.

“They wrote a wonderful article about this offering in the Coastal Breeze News,” Pastor Williams told the congregation (United Church and Bargain Basket Staffer Create “March to Help Ukraine,” March 24-30, 2022). 

 “They then wrote a second article about how the Calusa Garden Club caught the fever of generosity. We had an entire community who made gifts to this offering, including the Marco Patriots and the Silver Lakes community, who donated over $1,700. It just caught like a fever in our community of people coming forward to the register at the Bargain Basket making gifts to help the SOS Children’s Orphanage." 

Pastor Williams was thrilled to present Rojek with the check. 

"Today it is with great joy to give this gift to Barbara Rojek,” Pastor Williams said. "Barbara, on behalf of the United Church of Marco Island, the Bargain Basket community, and the wider community of Marco Island, I present to you a check today for 38,801.05.”

The congregation collectively gasped when they heard the total amount raised, then burst into a thunderous applause. Rojek was moved as she read from notes she’d prepared.

"How beautiful and generous people are,” Barbara Rojek said. "In the beginning I thought that $20,000 would be amazing. This just exceeds our wildest expectations. I cannot express my gratitude to all of you. Thank you for all of your donations. Thank you for spreading the word about our fundraiser. We started this fundraiser with the idea of gathering money to help children with no homes, no families, who are now affected by war. It was amazing to see how it snowballed. I’d like to thank the Silver Lakes RV and Golf Resort, the Woman’s Club, the Calusa Garden Club and many others for their engagement. This whole experience shows me what we are capable of. I am proud and grateful to be part of a community like this. We will do more good together."

Marianne Foley of the Calusa Garden Club said that she, too, was inspired by the March 24 article in the Coastal Breeze News. She convinced the club to partner with the Bargain Basket on a Flowers for Ukraine program to help the fundraising efforts. The Bargain Basket allowed Calusa Garden Club members to choose a container from their inventory to take home. The club members then created a floral arrangement in the containers and returned them to the Bargain Basket for sale. The flower arrangements often sold within minutes of their arrival.