Ukrainian Refugee Family Gifted With Furnished Danville Home

DANVILLE, CA —The Danville Alamo Chapter of nonprofit Grateful Gatherings today unveiled a fully furnished home to a Ukrainian family who fled their country in 2022.

Thanks to the help of volunteers and donations, the organization was able to gift the family an abundance of home furnishings including beds, couches and kitchen appliances.

Around a year ago, despite their efforts to keep their family safe in Ukraine, Dima, Galyna and their young son Dima Jr. had no choice but to escape the Russian occupied region through Poland with only three bags of belongings. After multiple months of waiting to enter the U.S., a program called United for Ukraine placed them with a host in Danville who has welcomed them into her home for the past year. This week the family got to see the big reveal after volunteers helped to make their new apartment a home. Done all in one day, the family was speechless as they stepped inside their newly furnished apartment for the first time.

"It really looks like home," Galyna said, fighting tears. "Our first plan, we will be grateful everyday."

Grateful Gatherings is an organization that helps about eight to 10 households a month by donating household items to local families who deserve a safe home, according to their website. Grateful Gatherings partners with over 50 Bay Area nonprofit agencies that refer households to them and then are partnered with a community that would like to help. From there, a list of materials is referred for donations, things like curtains, artwork and TVs to outfit the entire residence.

"It's about giving them all they need to move out of crisis and live life," said Grateful Gatherings co-founder Christine Flitter. "It's so much more than just a roof over their heads."

Grateful Gatherings will be hosting their first gala in Lafayette to celebrate their 10th anniversary on Oct. 28.


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