PORTLAND, Ore. — Businesses in Portland are finding creative ways to raise funds for the people of war-torn Ukraine.
Portland artist Tatyana Ostapenko was born and raised in Ukraine but left more than 20 years ago. Her paintings are often inspired by her birthplace.
"It is my home. It is where all my childhood and my formative years are. It is an intrinsic part of me," said Ostapenko. "I'm interested in those that never get the place in the history books."
Her paintings focus on women's issues and life challenges in the post-Soviet era.
When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, her first thought was to return to her homeland.
"I don't know anything about political activism. I need to do what I'm actually good at," said Ostapenko.
And for her, that's painting.
She's now selling every piece of her artwork to raise money for war relief efforts in Ukraine.
"They can pick a painting and instead of purchasing and giving the money to me, they make a donation," she said.
All the money raised will go to the Global Giving Fund, a nonprofit helping with humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine.
In downtown Portland, Gifford's Flowers is also raising money to lend a helping hand.
"We just saw a need and we were like, how can we give back in a way that we know how to do that? And that's flowers," said shop owner Laura Gifford Kerr. "The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine."
All the profits from sunflower sales through the end of the month will go to Direct Relief. The organization is helping cover medical needs in the conflict areas of Ukraine.
With flowers and art, Portlanders are forming a connection to Ukrainians almost 6,000 miles away.
Ostapenko started with about 88 paintings of various sizes last week and now has about 50 left. Prices range from $200 to $3,000. You can check out her website for available paintings.
Gifford's Flowers will donate 100% of profits from all sunflower sales through March 31.