Weekly Report - for Ukraine

Well, it’s been a busy week! Very busy! Let’s review.

On Monday

We got a box in. We had thought we’d get several - but that’s okay!

I spent time doing inventory and matching up quilts with pillowcases and getting ready for some helpers on Tuesday.

I also went shopping for local refugees in the white tent - here in Otwock. However, we went over there and because it was the day sandwiched between two holidays, they decided that the white tent was going to be closed so I had no place to donate my food. So I left it in the car and went home to work on quilts. I decided it would keep til Wed when I thought it would open back up.

Tuesday

It was a holiday - but we had some young ladies come over and help put together some of the quilts into the vinyl cases and then we took them to the church. When I have help, I’ve already chosen the pillowcases to go with the quilts, but just piled them in a stack under the bar in my dining room. That way, the people who help just choose a quilt and pillowcase and work from there.

On Tuesday afternoon we also had the young people come and take the food that had been in the garage. Here we are packing it into a red van so they could pack it into a different van to get to Ukraine later that evening. We also put a lot into this taxi car - but they couldn’t get it all. They had to come back later that evening for the rest. I did send along about 20 of these vinyl cases with quilts.

Wednesday -

I packed up some more of the baby quilts and we started getting in a lot of boxes of pillows and things I ordered for the vinyl cases.

You can see here that on Tuesday the ladies got me all caught up on quilts and pillowcase combos. This is where I’ve been stacking the combinations ready to pack up.

Below are the boxes of baby quilt starter packs we’ve got ready to go. I’m planning on sending these on Tuesday - at least most of them.

Also, Mike decided that he would go on another trip on Tuesday and so I started purchasing things. The white tent was still not open and no volunteers were there so I ended up taking that food that I had in the vehicle and put it in the garage at the church as a good start for the next week’s trip (Tuesday’s). I decided I would just rebuy food for the white tent on Thursday when it would be open and I would be sure there would be people there waiting to help with the food.

I was at the church unloading the stuff (which had been planned for the white tent) and a van drove up with a box. So I put that in the back of our van.

I decided to do some more shopping today - by myself - nice and quiet.

Thursday -

I did quite a bit of shopping for the Tuesday trip right away - starting at about 8 and shopped til lunchtime. At the end the photo is how it was looking towards the end of the shopping spree.

For the first couple of hours it was for the Tuesday trip and then I met Lena and we shopped for the white tent - local refugees (again!).

At that time, we went to the white tent and gave them the food we had purchased. We had a lot of help with this!

It was also a chance for me to see the man (Edek) who wanted the patches and I was able to give those to him! That was exciting and it seemed like everyone around was happy that he got something from the states! Thank you all!!! I did get another envelope this day (after I gave these to him!) He was very happy and grateful and wanted me to be sure to give you greetings and say thank you!

We got a lot more boxes as well today. I had spent time ordering over the weekend and people were getting the orders to me. In fact, it was a bit ridiculous!

Then, I went home. While home, Mike got a call from the young people who picked up food on Tuesday evening from the church garage and mentioned that they had a car going to Ukraine to the same place where they had taken things before - could we help - as it was a shame to go with an empty car. Mike told me about it - and I told him, “No, I’m too tired.” Then I had lunch and kind of got rejuvenated and said, “Ok, I can go to a couple of stores and get some fish and other types of food for the people there - but not too much and they need to come to our house and get it directly from my vehicle - I don’t want to unload it into the garage at church.” So I went to three more stores - the wholesale place and 2 different Lidl stores. For these medics, I got mostly meats like sardines, fish and meat paste along with sweets like cookies and granola bars—thing that do not require cooking.

The young man came at about 8 pm to get the food I purchased. Here it is packed into this vehicle. It was going to Medics in the Ivano Frankivsk region of Ukraine. I also sent about 10 of the blankets I had just unpacked from you - to head down there - these were not quilts. They can go to refugees or the medics or a hospital.

In the end I also gave him about 5 baby quilt sets to give to a hospital or children’s home down there. I’ll wait until I get some feedback to send more there.

We also got boxes. Four.

Albina wrote me and asked me if I could make a hair ribbon for her from blue and yellow before they left for a trip to Turkey on Sat. morning. I took a photo of the quilts with their pillowcases piled under the bar waiting to packed up and said I had a lot to do. She wrote back and said they could help. :)

While I had had an empty space there on Tuesday evening, once I started opening more boxes, I filled it up again with quilt/pillowcases combos waiting to be packaged up.

Friday -

At about 10:30 am the three ladies came over and helped put together a bunch of packets once again - got me completely cleaned out of the ones I’d prepared. While we were working, Mike got word that three more boxes were arriving at the church. He went to get them. After going to 8 different stores on Thurs. I did not go shopping on Friday.

Once they got me caught up on the quilt bundles, we took them all to the church building and put them in that room to await transport or donation.

I had decided that if the girls would help me with quilts (packaging), I could make her hair ribbon for her. So I did that after lunch and before I did the next thing. The green thing is what she made me - out of a sheet - it was her idea of what she wanted but with yellow and blue. It took me longer than you’d think because I made a few goofs, but this is the end result. I then took it over to the church building for them (the young ladies were not there as they were off getting a COVID test for their flight the next day).

I also I took several suitcases I had purchased for the ladies at the Jozefow station where they have put Ukrainian refugees. They had told me that this is what they need now as if people have a chance to go to different places, like Canada, for example, they often need luggage. So I’ve ordered a few pieces - trying to keep to a certain price point and get the best quality for the money.

This is Natalia - also Ukrainian.

I also delivered some deodorant and baby food (rice cereal - first foods) to the garage at the church building which I had received via couriers on Wed, Thurs. and earlier that day - had ordered it on line. Will be taken on the Tuesday trip.

Saturday -

I did go shopping for a few things once again, picking up some kabanosy (like beef jerky) at a great price at Lidl and some meat paste. I decided to take things to the church garage and move some things out of the house as it feels like a warehouse in my living room. However, I spent quite a while dealing with four boxes from FL.

Dealing with means unpacking, taking inventory and then matching up pillowcases with quilts and dealing with the plastic and boxes and ensuing piles and inevitable trash that seems to pile up.

Some time during the week - Wed. afternoon, I think, I stopped by the wholesale place - the local one - and asked them if they could just get me in some things for the Tuesday trip. It will all be ready for us on Monday afternoon to pick up. They were delighted to take my order. So, I ordered pasta, oil, buckwheat, ketchup, mayo, sweets, etc. For the most part it was more of what I already have - but I was concerned I didn’t have enough.

We will fill the trailer on Monday - the day you read this - and once all the food is in there, we will fill the empty space with quilts.

At least that’s the plan.

And, if you are tired reading this - well, yes, it has been a lot this week.

Thanks so much for coming along with me on this journey! Have a great day wherever you are reading this!

Becky Petersen9 Comments