When the door opened, four-year-old Tetiana ran to the box of toys that she knew was at the back of the shop. 

Each stuffed animal had a piece of paper affixed to it, with a positive message written in Ukrainian. A shop volunteer rummaged through the box with her, and helped her choose the furry doggy. 

While Tetiana was busy playing with her new toy, her mother was picking food items from the shelves: rice, pasta, some flour, fresh vegetables and a small bag of cookies for her daughter. They packed it all into a bag and walked out the door, Tetiana holding her stuffed doggy in her hand.

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This is Krakow's free shop. It is a local initiative where Ukrainians who have sought refuge in the Polish city, can come for goods they need.

Krakow has seen its population of 800,000 increase by about 15 percent as the conflict in neighboring Ukraine intensified.

The line of people outside the shop stretches down the block. Many wait a couple of hours to get inside, and then volunteers help them choose the essential items, which they may not be able to afford otherwise.

Each person has to present their identity documents and paperwork to show that they are Ukrainian and have not been to the free shop more than twice in a week.

"We support about 1,000 people each day," Piotr Kubiczek told CGTN. He started this shop with some other Krakow residents.

"It is a real social cooperative. What we are doing is only made possible through the contributions of Krakow citizens who know about us because they've seen the huge lines and sympathize with Ukrainians in this situation."

Anya, a 16-year-old from Lviv, has been here before. She came to Poland alone, without her parents, and says this shop is essential to her survival in the city. She does not even know the Polish language, and has found it challenging to support herself.

"It's difficult. For now this shop helps me stay here, to eat and to live here," explained Anya.

Ukrainian refugees in Poland are given 18-month visas, which gives them access to many social welfare services. But with men of fighting age not allowed to leave Ukraine, the women and child refugees in Poland must now find a way to put food on the table. Grassroots initiatives such as this one are key for their survival.

"The municipality and regional governments don't support us at all," said Kubiczek as he restocks the shelves with donations dropped off at the front door.

This is now a common practice. Many of the volunteer services that have sprung up since the conflict began do the best they can to make use of these donations. But a lot more is still needed, said 21 year-old-Ukrainian volunteer Artur.

"I think this place has already helped a lot of people," he said. "But what we can do more is teach them the language, help them get used to [living] here, find a job."

He says many of the refugees who come to their free shop now have a place to stay in Krakow, but with the conflict having reached the one-month mark, it's time to help them find their own way in Poland.

"This first period has finished and we have to help them improve their own independence," he said – but acknowledged that this would require more government support.