Hamilton residents book stays in Ukraine to support host families

Hamiltonians are booking stays at Ukrainian houses to support the owners of the rental units, even though they have no plans to visit the country.

People around the world have been booking Ukrainian rental units via Airbnb after seeing a post shared on Instagram by an account named @quentin.quarantino. The premise is that by booking the properties, people will be directly donating to Ukrainians as Russian military forces continue with their punishing invasion of the country.

Hamilton's Tara Smith booked four nights in Odesa, Ukraine, to make her contribution. "I think it was one or two days after the day, and that way the host would receive the money almost immediately," she said.

Smith messaged her host explaining how she wouldn't be coming, but that people in Canada and around the world were thinking about the people of Ukraine.

She transferred $114.23 for her booking. "I kind of just decided to book like a week's worth of groceries for me," she said.

After watching 10 to 12 stories about how people heard back from their hosts on @quentin.quarantino's Instagram account, Smith said "it was very heart-warming." 

"I was anxiously awaiting a response, I think because I had read all these other responses that people had gotten."

Little did she know that she was about to have a back-and-forth conversation with Julia, her host.

Julia wrote back at 4 a.m. Ukraine time. "[Thank] you," she said. "We are sitting with our daughter in a bomb shelter now."

"Our country has taken a hit and is defending the whole world of democracy and its territory. Thanks."

Smith said that she had been watching the grief so much in the news but having this personal conversation with someone on the ground just humanized it. Her husband was also happy to know the family was alive and safe in a shelter.

"It's not just something that you can look away from or turn away from," Smith told CBC News. 

Smith said she feels sadness, empathy and fear for the family after reading the messages.

"When I read that she was in a bomb shelter with her daughter, I just felt like I wanted to vomit. It was like, as a parent, you picture and you put yourself in that situation," she said.