To survive the war winter: Aid convoy brings 400 boxes from Holzkirchen in Ukraine

Created: 2022-12-20 07:17

By: Andreas Höger

First part of the aid convoy: Vasyl and Lesja Koval as well as Mariia and Andrei Binat, who currently live in Holzkirchen, in front of the packed pickup truck.

Vasyl brought the cargo to Ukraine on December 10, including mainly medicines and food.

A week later, a large truck went on a journey.

© Community Foundation

Many Ukrainians are freezing, have to live without electricity and without medication.

At least for some, a small “Christmas miracle” has now come true, made in Holzkirchen: the community foundation organized a second “Aid Convoy Ukraine”.

Many have donated – and organizer Sibylle König often had tears in her eyes.

Holzkirchen

– Sibylle König and the community foundation’s team of volunteers spent many hours collecting the donations.

They came from Holzkirchen and from all around.

Sometimes, says König, “incredibly touching scenes” took place in the community foundation office on the market square.

People who don't have much themselves gave something away.

Older people told what they themselves experienced during the war.

Children brought their chocolate lice.

"I often had tears in my eyes," says the organizer.

After the first convoy in the summer, the community foundation had doubts as to whether the consequences of the war of aggression that Putin's Russia had unleashed in Ukraine is still a major issue among the population, in view of inflation concerns and Christmas anticipation.

"But then we were overwhelmed by how many people donated again," says the managing director of the community foundation, "we would never have dreamed that the winter convoy would collect so much more than in the summer." The help is sorely needed.

"One can only guess how people feel when water, electricity, heating and their basic food supply are destroyed," says König.

The willingness to donate was impressive.

In the warehouse on Baumgartenstrasse, dozens of moving boxes were stacked full of medicines, groceries, hygiene items, clothing, baby food, blankets and sleeping bags, as well as thermos flasks, power banks for charging cell phones, flashlights and candles, which are currently in high demand in Ukraine.

All this was towed, sorted, repacked and provided with customs papers by the rescue team and Ukrainians currently living in Holzkirchen.

"An enormous effort," says König.

Flashlights, power banks and emergency power generators are in demand

On the third Sunday in Advent, Vasyl Koval climbed into a fully loaded Sprinter and, like in the summer, brought the load home safely.

The drugs, purchased at wholesale price from donations from pharmacies in Holzkirchen and Otterfing, went to two clinics in Dnipro, a heart clinic in Kyiv, a field hospital in the east and a rescue team in the south.

Since not all boxes fit into the Sprinter, the community foundation accepted an offer from MAN: The helpers loaded another 310 boxes onto a large 15-ton truck;

Two experienced MAN employees took the day off and chauffeured the valuable freight from Holzkirchen – some of it collected in Sauerlach by the Munich association “Hilfe für die Ukraine” – to the Polish-Ukrainian border.

According to König, the cargo was unloaded on Saturday, and Ukrainian volunteers have been taking care of its further distribution since yesterday.

The city of Lviv serves as a hub.

According to König, groceries, warm clothing and everyday medicines (ibuprofen, paracetamol, vitamin D/B) go primarily to the heavily contested and partly still occupied areas in the south and east.

Distributions in the Odessa, Kramatorsk and Kharkiv regions are planned for next week.

The Russian army is purposefully destroying all infrastructure there, and many places are without electricity.

"That's why flashlights, power banks and emergency power generators are very popular," says König.

In order to recharge your batteries, the community foundation is taking a collection break over Christmas.

"Please don't bring any donations at the moment," says König.

It is conceivable to set up another transport in January - with relief supplies that are specifically requested from Ukraine.

"We will then start a new call for this," announces the managing director of the community foundation.

Another current topic from Holzkirchen can be found here.