Donations for Ukrainian refugees (Update #2)

Decided to write this on my blog rather than by email since there were some embedded videos. 

As I was leaving the distribution point, where many Ukrainian families had picked up some essentials, I noticed a mother and young daughter standing at the street corner looking at their phone. They seemed to be looking for directions somewhere so I offered to help. I didn’t want to be pushy or creepy, but since our apartment was prepared to have a couple guests, I was prepared to offer them a place to sleep. I thought maybe they were looking for a shelter or a place to pick up more necessities. I asked if I could help and the mom smiled sheepishly and said “We’re looking for McDonalds”! 

I laughed a bit at first and led them towards the Golden Arches. Turns out they were in the mood for a treat. They were from Kharkiv, one of the first Russian targets and a city that has faced heavy destruction. I didn’t dare ask about their friends and family. Luckily they found a host in Warsaw and are now waiting (hoping) until visa restrictions are lifted for refugees to the US because she wants to live with her sister in Michigan. The daughter is 7 years old and seemed in good spirits. She was able to say hello in both English and Polish, and could tell me her age in English. She had been given a stuffed penguin toy at the distribution point but as we crossed a busy intersection she noticed it had fallen out of her bag. We walked back a bit but didn’t see it. She had a look of disappointment in her face but then sweetly said “that’s ok” to her mom. It was like she had already seen so much sadness and disappointment that a little stuffed animal didn’t bother her. But she said it with a true smile on her face like everything was going to be OK. It broke my heart a bit. I wanted to give her 1000 stuffed animals. 

These types of stories are more and more common, as the city fills with refugees, some of whom are ready to try adjusting to daily life (there are still thousands in the shelters where that’s harder to do). There’s a natural curiosity from the locals as to what they have been through, but it’s still too early to expect anyone to talk about it. It was reassuring to see a spark in the little girl's eye, and to know that her spirit was not broken. Let’s hope it stays that way.

With the attack on the Ukrainian military base close to the Polish border, there is a bit more attention being paid, but we are still "comforted" by NATO support. It just might mean even more refugees fleeing Western Ukraine, which was previously considered safe. 

Anyway, here’s another small update from the last few days. 

Along with a couple friends we collected some things to donate to a shelter for Ukrainian orphans near Warsaw. A friend drove down there and so far they have things under control. We have thought about (with my triathlon club) ways to organize activities for the kids to keep their mind off things. Maybe later in the spring. 

We made a couple more trips to take bags of food and hygiene products to the train station. There’s been some improvement in the logistics after a couple weeks of them figuring things out, and some bigger organizations offering support. There have also been a few more large scale accommodations opened, like some convention centers or sports halls, easing the burden on the train stations. 

One of the new shelters (photo from their social media page)

Distribution point at one of the train stations

Neighborhood community centers have also turned into shelters and/or collection/distribution centers of donated goods. Refugees can go “shopping” at the one by our apartment (everything is free), where we normally swim. Our little “brother” and “sister” from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Poland, Arek and Ola, helped us take stuff down there. This time there was a request for wafer cookies for the kids, along with pasta, rice and other grains for families to cook. 

The "needs" list at the local community center

Me with grown up Arek and Ola

Thanks to all of you, we were also able to make a big donation to a fire station in the Warsaw suburbs (Milanowek). A friend of mine lives there, and he has been very active in hosting and helping people. Their local fire station is serving as the town hub for refugee activity, and has set up a shelter. They recruit refugees from the train stations and reception points to convince them they don’t need to be in the city center (it’s not feasible for the city if everyone wants to stay in the center). People generally live in bigger apartments or houses in Milanowek, so there’s a lot more space. At last count there were around 1000 refugees staying there, which is amazing. The fire station collects items and is able to help with anything the refugees need, organize beds in the residents’ homes, and provide transportation when needed. My friend filmed a bit of how it looks down there so you could all see. This was a few days ago: it’s much busier now. Those guys are doing a great job!

The fire station in Milanowek

Short tour of the Milanówek fire station, courtesy of Andy Eddles

Inside the fire station pantry, courtesy of Andy Eddles

And finally, here's a video from the Warsaw Mayor explaining the current situation in Warsaw.

Thanks again for your generosity, and for reading this. More to come.

Tristan