Week in Review - Refugees, Quilts, Actions
Well, it was quite a week. I last gave a report on Monday, April 11. Since that time we sent two loads into Ukraine and have worked on a third.
The first load which was taken on Tuesday ended up going to Bila Tsorkov.
Mike (my husband) and Tim Smith (a visiting guest) went across the border and delivered the load to a man who met them about a mile or two into Ukraine where they move all the stuff from our trailer to his truck/van/trailer - whatever he/they have.
This trailer is quite tall - and we can never actually fill it up because the frame wouldn’t hold it if we did. However, by mixing heavy things like flour and sugar along with lighter things like adult diapers and of course quilts (though collectively they can be heavy!) - we can better fill up a trailer. It’s a learning experience for us.
The second load of the week was scheduled for Friday - Good Friday. However, I was very tired. I also wanted to get the next 10 charity quilts ready to go on the Friday load. So, I stayed home on Tuesday and a good part of Wednesday and them done and then prepared the pillowcases. Bogdana came over on Wed. evening to help me put them together. This load was going to go to this region of Ukraine.
This is the pile of bedding - quilt sets, charity quilts in duffel bags and duvet/duvet covers that we prepared for the Good Friday load.
On Thurs. morning we kept shopping and shopping. Plus the men bought a few generators that were sent in the load. In the end, we had a tremendous amount of stuff to go! It was a very good load!
We had had a lot of things here at the house so Mike took his truck and the trailer FULL of bedding and adult diapers to the church’s garage to load up the big trailer.
Lena, left, and Albina, right showing off some of the things purchased. This load was actually going to go to Lena’s pastor where he was going to distribute it to village people, some soldiers in the area shown above and some senior homes (they had requested a lot of adult diapers - which we got them).
Lena has been helping and this load is actually going to her pastor - he will distribute to various places including seniors, people in the villages and some soldiers - in the region north of Kiev - south of Belarus. It’s a hard hit area. This load was probably the most volume of all the loads. We’re learning to balance the light and heavy! From left - Rebekah, Mike, Lena, Bogdana, Vika, Albina, Tim, Andrej.
This third load that we prepared but hasn’t been sent yet will involve people coming to us to get it - so my husband won’t have to take it anywhere. It will go to this part of Ukraine. This load will go to medics and other people down there - including hospitals.
Now these loads, were MOSTLY paid for by two other people.
However, due to how it works, ‘we’ - meaning you all - paid for the bedding. I think that’s appropriate, isn’t it? We have a visitor, Tim, with us for a couple of weeks, and he wanted to pay for these things with the money he has had donated. So, he helped choose what is going in the loads. This load, which is going to medics and more ‘men’ have distinctive flavor to the load. I’ll explain under each photo.
These are going to a group of people who are friends with the Ukrainian, Sasha, who stayed with us for a week or so a couple of weeks ago.
I decided not to send any quilts to them - but we will go look for some hospital blankets the day you read this, as they are asking for those. I’m afraid that quilts would be not what they need. In the future, I will make more inquiries to find out if there would be any women involved and able to direct future quilts to families. For now, I’m holding off on sending quilts.
There are 10 packs of 12 pair here - a total of 120 pairs of socks.
I also supplied a couple of smaller needs that I had known about and purchased for two organizations that asked specifically for ladies’ socks - it was for Jozefow Station - where about 60-80 ladies and children are staying at any given time. This is here in our town.
The other thing was a bunch of juice/puree type thing for children for another place in Otwock, about 5 min. from our house. They also have between 50-70 people staying there are at any given time.
When I was there picking up some girls who helped us load up a trailer for Ukraine, I delivered this product, but also a whole group of about 17 were leaving to return to western Ukraine. They said they had been in Poland for a month and just longed for home. Apparently they were from parts of Ukraine that aren’t getting shelled.
Here a group of ladies and children (17) getting ready to get on this white van to head back to western Ukraine. They had been in Poland for a month.
But besides all of that, we are working to get the paperwork finished to get those first boxes through - those boxes of quilts sent by all of you all. There are some things we have to fill out to get the permission to get the boxes - and it is all kind of legalese. So, not so easy, but we’ll get the help we need. I’m writing this on Monday, so everything is closed - but hopefully by Tuesday we will have the necessary work done and can get those first boxes delivered. We know at least one of them is here in Warsaw now.
I did make up some more pillowcases so I could finish up the last 9 of my own quilts that I want to send on into Ukraine - so they are ready to go.
These 9 are the last of my own quilts that I’m sending currently. They should be taken into Ukraine on Wed. I can probably donate more of my quilts, but I need to get into the room where they are currently kept and one of our guests is staying in there. I’m actually enjoying the opportunity to use up some fabric that I’ve had for some time and didn’t really have plans for.
I also did receive the first of the quilts from you all! Direct in the mail. (I want to devote a whole blog post to that, however - it’s so cool I need to give those three packages my full attention!)
I also got a couple of customs forms that I hope to get filled out later on Monday so Tuesday I can deal with all of it to get a couple more things delivered.
I have no idea why sometimes things come through delivered without a hitch but other things get stopped and require more paperwork. It feels like a big lottery!
I also had some more comforters delivered and made up some more duvet cover sets (I already had the duvet sets). Now that I’m getting ready to stare hundreds of quilts in the face, I will be focusing on those.
These are sets of a comforter and a matching set of bedding to go with it.
I also received and ordered more soft microfiber blankets to go in with the quilts and pillows/pillowcases. I now do have quite a few and am itching to get the quilt project fully on its way. I know all of you are as well!
But that’s my last week. I feel like we did an awful lot!
The week you are reading this we will mostly focus on local - and getting these quilts coming and taking care of all the legal/customs stuff we need to.
Thanks for reading! We do appreciate you!
If you want to help with this project, you can do so here. Thank you so much for your help!
Be sure to check out what my sis has for you in the store here!
Here’s one of the beauties we have!
