When I arrived at Hope Shelter around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, there was a truck backed up to the dock. Jay and others were unloading a bunch of tables that had been donated from an estate sale. The tables would be setup in the new dining areas, allowing a more community feeling. Up until this point there were only a few tables, so it was a rushed and less than comfortable dining environment.
Along with some other volunteers, we unloaded the things for the shelter from the truck and then filled the truck with some heavy coats, sleeping bags and other outer wear that were dropped off. These items were going to Lviv, Ukraine, where they will be distributed to families who need them.
I spent much of the day helping to put together furniture and sorting through clothes and kitchen items. We made 3 trips with two cars filled with Rice, Snickers Bars and giant Lindt chocolate eggs and delivered them to a shelter run by Russians-4-Ukraine. The candy donations seemed a bit curious to me, but, the dates on the boxes were within 30 days of the use-by date, so I guess that had something to do with it.
At some point in the day, David Lowe of UAid got a call about the need for a possible medical evacuation over the border. He was unable to go and asked if anyone had papers to make the trip. Papers simply meant an acceptable Passport and an international drivers license. Two of the volunteers were from countries that required a Visa to enter Ukraine and while they are able to receive a humanitarian aide visa, it was a Sunday and government offices — and most everything else — were closed. He needed someone who had an international drivers license and could also drive a stick, because I couldn’t take my rental car. Without thinking, I raised my hand. Another volunteer who had been there, but couldn’t drive, was going to go along with me. Dave handed me the keys and the registration for his SUV, while waiting for confirmation from his contact. As the hours ticked by without more information, the trip was cancelled.
In the early afternoon I was sitting at a table taking a break with some other volunteers when an older Ukrainian woman staying at the shelter tapped me on the shoulder, pointed at a bowl of soup in her hand and said “Kapushka?” I nodded yes. She smiled and put the bowl down in front of me. I watched her repeat this with each volunteer, before serving herself and her husband. A bit later she came over and said, bil-shi while pointing to my bowl. I shook my head no. She smiled and took my bowl. The words “thank you,” felt awkward and ungrateful because I couldn’t thank her in a way she could understand. And, yet, she did understand, the same I understood that bil-she meant “more.”
Google Translate: Дякую pronounced dyayuka means thank you. The least I can do is make sure she understood me.
We then made 3 trips in a two car convoy to a small storage warehouse, both cars stuffed so high with donated clothing that I couldn’t see out of the mirrors. We had planned to make an additional trip, but as we were returning we received a call about a family of six who had just come in by train and needed help. They had been turned away from the main shelter, as it was overfilled.
We returned to the shelter around 8:30 p.m., just as this family had been dropped off on the street in front of the warehouse. I was sitting in my car getting ready to return to my apartment to take care of some “important work” as they walked by, carrying backpacks, wrapped in blankets, their hands filled with stuff.
Tomorrow is a new day.
And, yet, there is so much to process today.
Will you help me help this shelter? 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 for Hope 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.