Since my arrival in Przemysl I have been more of a commuter than a tourist. Awake, dressed and already doing something by 7 a.m., while not stopping sometimes until after 8 p.m.
On my drive back to my small apartment after Thanksgiving dinner, I realized that I had yet to find time to stop and take photos of things I wanted to remember. It was after 9 p.m. and I had a long travel day ahead on Friday, so I set my alarm for 6 a.m. to make time for a quickie photo tour before picking up some food staples for the shelter before saying goodbye. The morning began with the small elevator not working, so I had to drag two bags and a backpack down three flights of spiral stairs.
I got to the shelter around 9 a.m. and unloaded the groceries from the trunk. Food is incredibly cheap in that part of Poland, with five bags of groceries including fresh fruit, vegetables, coffee, bread and some pet food coming in at under $25.00 US. I actually thought there was some mistake when I looked at the week’s grocery store charges on my credit card bill.
Earlier in the week I made a spontaneous decision to drive to Prague on Friday, rather than fly there on Saturday. Because this decision required a border crossing I had to swap cars in Rzeszow, Poland before making the drive to the Czech Republic. It was now around 11 a.m. and if I planned to get to Prague before my son’s bus arrived from Salzburg at 8 p.m., I needed to get going, and yet – I just didn’t want to say goodbye. I was waiting for the coffee urn and the sink to be delivered and there were still so many stories I still needed to hear.
Sadly some of those who I had met during the week were off doing other things on this morning. That’s the nature of volunteering in this way – every day is different. You just do whatever it is that you need to do that day. There is no rhyme or reason, no schedule, no “this isn’t my job” conversation. Each person who volunteers their time is really volunteering their entire self without ego and without rank. Everyone is just there to do the best they can for as long as they can.
Saying goodbye was hard. A strange bond is formed from both a spoken and unspoken understanding of why each person was there. For me, I had started to lose a bit of faith in the human race and this experience allowed me to see the absolute worst *and* the absolute best in human beings.
In sharing stories with family, I was asked why I would risk going to Ukraine or why I wanted to look at some of the things I told them about. I didn’t and don’t really have an answer, I simply know that looking away was not an option for me.
I don’t think we have the luxury to look away.
I am asking you to help me continue to help. Jay’s shelter is having a direct and immediate life saving impact to those in the worst situation you can even imagine. Immediate and lifesaving means just that – food, water, shelter, warm clothes to prevent freezing to death. To date, your donations have purchased beds, mattresses, electrical supplies to create adequate space for cooking and charging cell phones, a coffee urn and a sink that will be used to wash dishes. There is still a need for additional beds, some heaters, a freezer and other basic items.
There are lots of ways to donate, but know that all monies no matter how they are received will be used for beds and mattresses and other supplies – including a new sink I purchased yesterday and electrical equipment to allow more more cooking area at the Hope Organization’s Shelter. To make your donations tax deductible, you can make them through Volunteer Housing Initiative. You will have the opportunity to add a comment to tell them you want your funds to go toward this effort. Or, you can donate directly to me via Venmo to @MtgMistress or by PayPal through this site.