No war graphic
Stand together in support of Ukraine
Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine is both appalling and sickening says Sam Davey. Meanwhile, Erica Smith has been finding out the best ways to donate money or items needed by refugees from Ukraine.
Two events are being organised in Hastings this weekend to show solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Sat 5 Mar: 10am in the town centre
On Saturday, a short, peaceful anti-war demonstration will be held at 10.00am in the space outside the former Debenhams at the end of Robertson Street.
Bring along items for refugees
This will also be a collection point for items urgently needed by families whose lives have been thrown into turmoil by Putin’s unprovoked acts of war and devastation, run by Polish and British solidarity with Ukraine. Items needed include foil survival blankets, nappies, sanitary towels, first aid kits, sleeping bags, thermal clothing, hairbrushes, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes and children’s clothes and toys.
Sun 6 Mar: 2pm outside the Pier
On Sunday, a peaceful march from Hastings Pier to the Stade has been organised by Roy Gerlach.
“We must not keep quiet, we must do what we can to show our support for the people of Ukraine and our utter horror and disgust at the actions of Vladimir Putin,” said Ray.
The march will begin at 14.00 at the pier and will make its way to the Stade, where a rally will be held.
Donate money, not ‘stuff’
Zoe Oliver of St Leonards says that the NGOs on the ground are saying they do not need ‘stuff’. If you can afford to donate money, then that is the most valuable thing you can do.
Jane Grimshaw, Convenor of Hastings Supports Refugees and Co-Chair of Hastings Community of Sanctuary “Hastings Supports Refugees have been talking with many of our partner organisations across Europe and the consensus of opinion is if you want to make a donation to help with the situation in Ukraine, then the Ukranian Red Cross are the people to donate to.”
Collecting items in the UK and sending over trucks to Poland is arguably generating more work and challenges for the volunteers supporting refugees in Poland. There will be logistical problems of sorting the items and storing them – let alone the environmental impact of driving trucks from the UK across Europe. If money is made available it is much easier to respond to the immediate needs for particular items.
Jane says if people really want to send over items rather than donate money, it’s really important that they only donate things that are on up-to-date lists of requested items.
“Donating other things that you think may be useful actually causes more work for overstretched volunteers further down the line. You may well be right to think this thing will be needed, but this need is probably being covered by another group somewhere else. Specific and targeted aid is a tactic used by many aid groups to great effect, for example Hastings Supports Refugees asking for jogging bottoms from Primark last year for their beach response group. The last thing anyone wants is to send aid that isn’t useful, or is too much. Too much of a particular type of aid causes as many problems as it solves. It is good to remember we are not alone in this effort, everyone across Europe feels the same and is mobilising in the same way. This is a team effort, a marathon not a sprint.”
Donate via DEC – with GiftAid and government matchfunding bonuses
Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert says all donations to the UK Disasters Emergency Committee up to £20 million will be matchfunded by the Government. And if you are a taxpayer, through the GiftAid scheme, your donation will be worth an additional 25%.
If you really want to donate items, what do you do?
If you are really driven to donate items rather than money, there is little clear guidance about how to do it! Collections are being organised by individuals who are sharing news on Facebook. They are wary of having their addresses publicised for fear of being overwhelmed with donations that they cannot store in weather proof secure storage until it is collected by lorries driving over to Poland.
According to posts on Facebook groups, items needed include:
Foil Survival blankets, Toys, Nappies, Sanitary Towels, Painkillers, Anti-septic cream, Crayons, Towels, Blankets, First Aid Kits, Sleeping Bags, Metal Cups, Thermal Clothing including babies waterproof, insulated one-piece suits, Hair Brushes, Shampoo, shower gel, deodorant, Toothbrushes, Bandages, Battery packs.
1 – Take it to the Town Centre!
If you are attending the event at 10am in the town centre on Saturday 5 March, bring your items for donation with you.
2 – Message Sasha via Facebook
Several individuals and organisations have also been collecting items for Ukrainian refugees since the end of February. Initially, Sasha Hobday was posting via the Hastings Give and Takery Facebook page, but she has now set up a Facebook page specifically to collect Hastings Aid for Ukrainian Refugees. She has a large garage and from 1pm on Thursday 3 March will be accepting donated goods for a second lorry to take over to Poland on Friday. Sasha says, “Sadly I feel this is going to be a long term project. We just want to help, and let them know they are not alone, every tiny act of kindness can go such a long way.”
3 – Pett collection point
Tic Toc Hair in Pett are collecting small items to be sent out on Friday. They have requested: Painkillers, bandages, anti-septic cream/liquid, toothpaste and toothbrushes, dry dog and cat food, shampoo, sanitary items, nappies, sleeping bags, bedding, torches, power banks, batteries, pillows and latex gloves.
They are based at 3 The Lyndens, Pett Rd, Hastings TN35 4HD.
4 – Drury Lane collection point
Cathy Lock has also been collecting donations from people who are unable to drop them off themselves. She’s been delivering them to the old Philips building in Drury Lane but currently HOT has no further details about this collection point or who is organising the collections and deliveries.
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From my experience in humanitarian work, money is the most efficient way to support reliable & established aid agencies working on the ground
Comment by Peter Wiles — Thursday, Mar 3, 2022 @ 12:29