What we accomplished serving Polish refugee camps

4 of 4

Deciding to go to Poland

We can’t recount every minute of our experience, but it was full of service, love, and compassion. Thursday night we went to dinner with many of our new friends. Alen, his friend Ania, who is another Ukrainian refugee now working at the World Central Kitchen, Fred, and his family. 

The World Central Kitchen is an amazing organization doing amazing things to serve meals to those around the world dealing with war, natural disasters, and displaced communities. With a massive donation from Jeff Bezos, they were able to hire refugees to run the kitchens, instead of using volunteers. This structure provides employment opportunities to refugees and empowers them to become more self sufficient as they begin to earn income.

Since Ania started working at WCK, she has been able to get her own apartment rather than staying at one of the centers. Unfortunately, her 14-year-old daughter must stay at their apartment during the day and watch her 4-year-old brother while Ania works. When we learned of their situation, we decided to buy them a small television to help keep them entertained while their mom is at work.

There are hundreds of families like the ones we have met and shared their stories, and many that we witnessed and served that are still in need. For example, there is Helen and her 11-year-old son Tim who have been displaced.

Ivan, who is 14 and speaks English very well and he needs a leg operation because he broke it doing MMA before the war started.

Another Ivan who is 15 and works at the World Central Kitchen every day (and has a crush on Marisol).

Alexei, a super kind, and polite older gentleman.

Slava, another older gentleman, who is really nice despite his missing teeth.

The guy who always wears a Ukrainian head band and is super happy all the time.

Women and teenagers who are pretty good at English and enjoy the time learning.

The bulk of our volunteer time was spent serving these people and families. Continued support and relief are needed to help these families as the war and invasion of Ukraine continues. We learned so much from our trip and ways we can continue to support from the United States.

Because of our sponsors

I wanted to post a quick summary for those who donated to help and those who were interested in our experience. We were fortunate to get in touch with the right people and the right places. We were able to help over 100 refugees relocate from the Plaza center to other centers with it closing.

With the donations provided we were able to purchase supplies for people, relatives, soldiers of family members across the border, we helped provide Ukrainian refugees necessities and comforts in Poland, and we were able to enhance the lives of those who have lost so much.

We purchased things like a TV, bicycles, and tram tickets. We helped move and establish families in new centers. We were able to purchase a dryer, Ikea storage shelves, and toys. And we helped distribute donations at the Safa Dobro. It is hard to summarize every moment, but I hope that sharing our experiences help to share the circumstances refugees are facing in Poland.

I think that the most valuable thing for myself was making new friends and getting to know people. I hope I can keep in touch with these new friends and hear about where their lives lead. I hope that meeting new people is one of the good things that comes through their trials.

Once immediate needs are met, like food, shelter, and clothes, many of the refugees are left pondering their circumstances and all they have lost. I think I have always underestimated or taken for granted the needs of people beyond their immediate physical needs. When the war started, I just wanted to help people with food, shelter, and clothing, and wish I could have done more than just donate money at that time. But, as the war goes on, and immediate needs are met, and people’s attention and support start to drift away to other things, the people are still there, and still benefit from the relationships and connections they have made. 

What your donations to Ukraine provided

Here is a summary of what we were able to purchase with the donations provided by friends, family, and our sponsors. All of the following items, contributed to needs in big ways!

Summary of purchases:

• Couple suitcases
• 30 or so phone charging cables
• 20-30 portable power banks
• Boxes of bandages and gauze
• Boxes of hydrogen peroxide
• 30 or so razors
• Lots of soap and shampoo for about 30-50 people
• A couple cases of tuna and other canned meat
• A couple of cases of pasta
• A couple cases of instant soup
• A case of coffee and tee
• A couple boxes of Energy bars
• A box of mosquito and tick repellant
• 10 portable shovels
• A TV for a family
• 60 adult diapers
• 60 disposable mattress pads
• 60 urinary incontinence pads
• 2 kids bikes
• 1 adult bike
• A condensing clothes dryer
• A large toy shelf with bins
• Kids table and chairs
• Crayons
• Sidewalk chalk
• 7 stand up fans
• About 50 -100 hooks and hangers
• 6 soccer balls
• 2 soccer goals
• Badminton supplies
• Ping pong paddles
• Kites
• Kids books – Polish
• Some used Ukranian books
• Toilet seat
• Privacy lock
• Fluorescent light bulbs
• 6 mirrors
• Kids room decorations
• A drill and drill bits
• A couple multi-tools
• 75 tram tickets
• Some money for Natalia to use at the center.
• Some money for Alen to use coordinating his efforts.

Thank you to everyone who contributed and follow along to see how you can continue to support Ukrainian refugees.

In addition to the time in Poland, we did extend our trip at the front of the trip for a couple sightseeing days to visit Prague and Auschwitz.