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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not understand why people are driving to Poland?

472 replies

Tgbiyr · 16/03/2022 18:55

Genuinely interested in whether I’m missing something.

I have a friend on Facebook who’s driving part of a convoy of goods for Ukrainian refugees from the UK to Poland. Toiletries, clothes etc. He asked people to donate goods, and now he’s asking people to donate towards fuel costs.

I cannot understand why anyone is doing this. Would it not be better to donate to the Polish charities supporting the refugees than transport lorries full of goods thousands of miles? Or ask for donations of goods to support refugees who come to Britain? What am I missing?

AIBU to think that driving lorries from the UK to Poland isn’t helpful, and the money would be better spent being directly donated to organisations in Poland?

OP posts:
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7
TheWayTheLightFalls · 16/03/2022 18:58

You're not BU in he slightest. People want to be involved and have a story to tell, imo.

XenoBitch · 16/03/2022 19:00

YANBU , the Polish government said do not send stuff, but send money instead.

PurpleSweetPeas · 16/03/2022 19:02

With us it's the schools competing with who can fill the most minibuses with aide. I'm genuinely Hmm because it's turning into a massive guilt competition when it shouldn't be about that at all

TeaForTiger · 16/03/2022 19:04

They want to be a hero, say they were there and have a gorp at the people.

TonkaTruckduck · 16/03/2022 19:04

Can you begin to imagine the chaos of needing a pack of size 3 nappies and having warehouse after warehouse of stuff to look through?
Money is much more effective. It's lovely that people want to help, but it's just adding to the chaos quite probably.

Walesrecommendations · 16/03/2022 19:04

YANBU, I don't understand it either. At the risk of sounding unsupportive I find it really virtue signally and it comes across as mainly something to document on your Facebook..

Hollyhead · 16/03/2022 19:07

It’s completely performative. I’m sure it’s best left organised by the aid charities. I can understand volunteering there but not taking a load of random stuff.

BoodleBug51 · 16/03/2022 19:09

It's done for no one other than themselves.

Howeverdoyouneedme · 16/03/2022 19:10

Agree.

chineseanyone · 16/03/2022 19:11

Lady from my area aswell, hired a lorry and a driver and has taken lots of tinned foods and updates everyone daily on Facebook. I don't really get it to be honest..

unfortunateevents · 16/03/2022 19:12

I agree. Unless e.g. you have specific people (friends or family) in a country who have escaped from Ukraine I really don't understand the value of people randomly filling vans and lorries with whatever is donated and then turning up where (?) with it? Who are they giving it to? The first charity or refugee centre they come across? I know some charities are sending larger convoys which may have a greater value if they are in contact with a local organisation but even then surely it is better for people to donate money rather than buying random amounts of nappies, baby formula, shower gel, headache pills etc? Bought in bulk the charities can get better pricing and as mentioned, possibly better not to transport from here at all but buy locally in Poland, Romania etc

ISpyCobraKai · 16/03/2022 19:12

Why send money quietly when you can make a big song and dance about doing something "more".

jclm · 16/03/2022 19:12

I am absolutely gobsmacked by this phenomenon as well. Why not leave it to the professional charities with experience, networks and training in logistics and disaster relief? In our local area we have random people filling up trucks, advertising for Amazon donations to be delivered to them in the UK, and driving to Poland as well. Not the done thing to point out that it would be much more effective to simply donate to a relevant charity.

RosaBaby2 · 16/03/2022 19:13

I get what you're saying but some people don't have money to donate but do have goods/clothes/hats/scarves

Comedycook · 16/03/2022 19:14

Oh phew, thought I was the only person who's a bit Hmm at this. Virtue signalling and attention seeking imo

DrManhattan · 16/03/2022 19:14

I think some people just can't sit there and do nothing. Giving money to charity isn't enough. They want to do something tangible and real.

OnceAgainWithFeeling · 16/03/2022 19:15

@RosaBaby2

I get what you're saying but some people don't have money to donate but do have goods/clothes/hats/scarves
Then they should keep them here in readiness for any refugees that end up here.

(Stuff reaching Poland/Ukraine is getting burnt for warmth rather than distributed and worn.)

InvincibleInvisibility · 16/03/2022 19:15

Yanbu

(Im not in the UK)
My work internal charity has collected loads of clothes etc which are being distributed to refugees that they have driven across Europe to fetch and bring back. The refugees will be staying with volunteers from the company.

I agree that money would be more useful to send than goods, until the refugees are in the same country.

I do know someone who has driven to Poland, but that was to get his family out of Ukraine and I don't blame him one bit

MadMadMadamMim · 16/03/2022 19:17

Ridiculous.

As ridiculous as the 6th forms who get students to pay thousands of pounds per head to go off and 'build' an orphanage/well/school somewhere in a 3rd world country. It's a jaunt for well off kids and if they genuinely cared they'd donate the money and pay for local - proper- builders to be employed to do this. Not teenage girls with no skills. Apparently it's an amazing life experience to go and patronise poor people in a poverty stricken country.

ISpyCobraKai · 16/03/2022 19:17

If you don't have money to send but have, "stuff", then accept you can't help Ukraine and look closer to home to see where you hats/gloves etc may be helpful.
Sending what amounts to rubbish is causing problems.

Smartiepants79 · 16/03/2022 19:19

I was thinking similar the other day.
In some cases I would have thought they’re actually causing more issues than they’re solving.
Most of them will have no training that’s helpful and won’t speak the local language.

gonetogroundnow · 16/03/2022 19:20

It's next level virtue signalling. A lot of people I event with are taking their horse boxes over and had a weekend collecting stuff this weekend just gone.

You will never see a more painful demonstration of try hard middle classes than a mass convoy of Oakley horse boxes driving to Poland and sharing their trouble on insta.

YouHaveYourFathersBreasts · 16/03/2022 19:20

If people have stuff rather than money to donate they’re better off either keeping hold of it until refugees start arriving here or donating it to other charities.

Money is more useful from what I can see.

BiscuitLover3678 · 16/03/2022 19:20

Looks like I’m the only one here but I thought Poland was absolutely rammed with refugees? As long as the uk people with the trucks are giving it out themselves eg when they see people walking or waiting at boarders, then it shouldn’t be an issue. It’s only an issue if they get there and dump it or expect someone else to deal with it.

lanbro · 16/03/2022 19:21

I 100% agree and have been saying this today...the fuel cost alone must be phenomenal and would be so much better spent as a monetary donation to a humanitarian charity who can direct it where it needs to go.

Some of my staff collected a load of nappies, toiletries etc but missed the drop off...I suggested it would probably be better off being donated to the foodbank, I imagine donations are down at the moment due to everything that's going on at the moment