It is Thursday evening, 3 March, around 6 p.m., when the distribution hall in Aalten, made available by Kaemingk BV, is filled with a large group of volunteers in orange vests. That the situation in Ukraine is sensitive is shown by the number of people who are on their way to offer help. The scale of this action is enormous. Various Facebook posts by Angelika Lewandowska and Justyna Markiewicz (Aelbers) have set a wave of partial actions in motion. The Polish community is very involved and has joined forces with a handful of Dutch people.
For days now, relief goods have been collected for the people affected in Ukraine. Several evenings in a row, the volunteers of Aelbers and Kaemingk are working hard to get rid of all the relief goods. Several collection campaigns that have been set up at locations in the Netherlands and Germany are brought together at this location in Aalten. And it is a LOT! Kasia Wientjes has worked hard to arrange the storage and trucks. The willingness of people to donate goods is enormous. The hall is full of boxes, bags and loose items that were brought by quickly.
A trailer is in the dock, ready to be loaded. This is already the second trailer that is used during this action. Earlier this week, a full trailer already left for the east on behalf of Sebastian Kobylczyk of sneldakkapel.nl. Also, now it seems that the enormous amount of goods will not all fit in the second trailer. The third trailer will be sent via Kaemingk to its final destination on Wednesday 16-03-2022. It does not take long before the first van arrives at the door. When the doors are opened, every square centimeter of the van seems to be used. The van is packed with bandages, food, cosmetics, medicine, and blankets.
The volunteers form a well-oiled machine this evening and unpack the vans. Ester van Lent, Kasia Wientjes, Alicja Borkowska and Alexander Lukkassen pass the boxes to each other at a rapid pace. Piotr Sasiela, Szymon Lebok, Szymon Sroczynski and Klaudia Mularczyk neatly stack the boxes. It almost seems as if they work together so intensively every day. The extra help of colleagues from Fides comes at just the right time. Alicja’s daughter seals all boxes tightly. The goods are carefully sorted on different pallets. In Polish, English and Dutch, the contents of the boxes are written on them. While the number of pallets keeps growing and the vans with goods keep coming in, the warehouse employees of Kaemingk BV prepare the pallets professionally for transport. In just 28 seconds a full pallet is weighed and sealed by Daan Wientjes and Adriana Chilinska.
Snack bar Stegers Aalten facilitates the team with warm snacks and ensures that the engine of our volunteers keeps running. Around 10 pm the last pallet is loaded, and the second trailer is full. The remaining four pallets that do not fit in the trailer go with the next transport. On Friday morning, the trailer will be connected to the truck of Don Trucking Transport.
They will transport this trailer to its destination. Flexfamily business support assists the transporters by taking care of the fuel costs and has indicated to contribute financially to the whole action.
We want to thank all donors and volunteers for the support. Support that is still badly needed today. Even after today, the collection will continue, and people will keep dedicating themselves to the good cause. This action is important for the more than 1 million people who fled from Ukraine. Meanwhile, the first refugees have also been received in our own regions.
You can still help to send the trucks to the boarder, help drivers and their families as well as donate to Rotary Club who has initiated its ANBI foundation.
Donations can be send to:
Stichting Community Service der Rotary Club Bergh at ABN Amro Bank account number: NL39ABNA 0476 7772 17
BIC ABNANL2A
In the first instance, goods will be purchased that are in great need, such as for personal hygiene for women.
If you can help in providing either shelter near Bydgoszcz and surroundings and/or furniture for our drivers and their families, please e-mail: pomoc@don-trucking.eu.