“There are too many to mention,” says Marzena Gazda, as she thanks all those from Udimore and Rye who have rallied to the cause and made donations to support Ukrainian refugees.
“Everyone has been so fantastic and generous,” she told Rye News, as she displayed the mountain of donations overflowing several outbuildings where she works at The Hammonds, on Udimore Road.
Marzena, who has lived in Rye for 18 years, has friends in her native Poland working with refugees on the Ukrainian border where they are desperate for everyday supplies. Not just foodstuffs, but medical supplies, toiletries, cat and dog food, bedding, and clothing.
She started the appeal last week asking people to drop donations into Udimore village hall, from where it has all been transferred to storage, and awaits a Polish lorry driver friend who has volunteered to take the donations to Poland.
“I am so grateful to my boss, James Wilmoth, for letting me utilize so much space for the donations, but also Adams in Rye, who printed all the flyers for the appeal for nothing, Pat at Rye Community Transport for donating to transport costs, and so many others for supporting this cause in so many ways.”
But the work is far from over. When I left her last Sunday, she was surrounded by mountains of donated supplies, all of which had to be packed into boxes and labelled in both English and Polish, to make distribution fast and simple when reaching its destination. An endless task after an eight-hour working day as home-help and gardener at The Hammonds.
The donations will be shipped to Poland within the next two weeks and Marzena has set up a Just Giving page for anyone keen to contribute to the transportation costs.
Image Credits: Chris Lawson .