February 24, 2026: As winter continues across Ukraine and critical infrastructure remains under attack, families in Kharkiv are enduring freezing temperatures without reliable heat or electricity. Through a direct Rotary-to-Rotary partnership, the Rotary Club of Arnprior is leading a renewed effort to fund warm, waterproof blankets sewn locally and distributed to those sheltering in basements, subway stations, and humanitarian hubs. Rotary Club of West Ottawa members and friends are invited to help bring warmth, dignity, and hope during this urgent winter campaign.
The Warm Blanket Project: “We Will Warm Up Ukraine” is spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Arnprior in partnership with the Rotary Club of Kharkiv-Friends in Ukraine. The connection is personal and deeply Rotary. Arnprior Rotarian Gerhard Peters learned of the need through Ukrainian Rotarian Olga Lalovenko, whom members met at the Rotary International Convention in Houston in 2022. Olga later relocated to Eastern Ontario with her children after fleeing the war; her home city of Kharkiv, just 30 km from the Russian border, has endured daily shelling since the invasion began.
Today, more than half of Kharkiv’s homes are considered unliveable. Residents often sleep in basements, subway stations, and collective heating points; air raid sirens sound multiple times each day. With electrical and gas systems repeatedly targeted, many households remain heat insecure during one of the coldest stretches of winter.
Each $45 donation funds the manufacture and free distribution of one high-quality, three-layer blanket measuring approximately 60" x 78": waterproof outer fabric, insulating core, and durable coat fabric. Designed with fasteners, the blankets can be worn as a shawl, used as a sleeping bag, or laid flat as bedding. Sewing is carried out by a local Kharkiv enterprise, providing food, income, and a daily sense of purpose for the seamstresses involved.
The broader project goal in Kharkiv is to produce 10,000 blankets. The Rotary Club of Arnprior is currently working to fund 500 additional blankets and has committed $1,000 in seed funding, matching donations up to an additional $1,000 to amplify early contributions. Rotary District 7040 has previously supported the initiative through a Rotary Foundation District Disaster Grant of $25,000 USD, used to produce blankets for local hospitals.
Funds are being collected now, with the goal of transferring the majority to Ukraine by March 13 to meet immediate winter needs.
How to Help
E-transfer: ArnpriorRotary@gmail.com
Question to ask: Recipient country?Cheque:
Arnprior Rotary Club
PO Box 481
Arnprior, ON K7S 3L9
Donations may also be made through your local Rotary Club and funneled through the Rotary Club of Arnprior.
In moments of crisis, Rotary’s global network becomes more than an idea: it becomes action. One blanket will not end a war, but it may warm a child, protect a family, and remind a community that they are not alone.