To not understand why people are driving to Poland?

[Tgbiyr]

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?

@Tictocrobot

Definitely not on here to bitch about people donating lovely things, BUT… pretty much every town seems to have a truck going out to the Ukrainian borders. Imagine how many trucks that is, and presumably the same is happening in France, Italy, Germany etc. So much of this stuff is going to end up in landfill.

Yes, this point exactly. As much as I think there are good intentions behind donations (although a lot of social media kudos too), but there is going to be so much waste...time, cost and value to what refugees need right now. British Red Cross pleaded to donate money instead to buy food, medicine and shelter where it is needed immediately, but the physical donations continued.

One local charity who used to specialise in supporting refugees abroad for years pleaded to not to make physical donations, there are landfills full in Greece of unwanted clothing and it cost them £2,500 to ship unwanted donations back to the UK, money which could have been spent on food, water, shelter etc. It horrifies me to think of trucks from every town, in every European country, making their way to Poland in this way.

I feel really sad that there are good intentions behind the donations, but so many have been organised without thought or contact with specialist agencies on the ground.

Another concern is those looking to profit from donations, one 'charity' was set up on Facebook with 24 hrs asking for donations of books to send to Ukraine. When questioned they didn't know how to get them there, who to speak to and when they were going to do this but were already accepting donations in the hundreds.

The quickest and safest way to help right now is to donate financially. Donate what you would have spent on toiletries of nappies, sell the clothes on vinted you would have donated and give the money to DEC or British Red Cross.

Please don't see this as a cold post, I'm just as devastated with what's going on in Ukraine and want to do everything I can to help, I just want to raise awareness of other ways that we can support.

[quote MrsLargeEmbodied]what a load of critical folk you are

are you doing something?

I bet also that the ones offering a “room” are the same ones pro Brexit, that don’t want these Eastern Europeans in here to steal our benefits and our jobs… I bet it won’t take long for them to take their selfies exhibiting their act of kindness to be kicking people out of their “castles”.
In the other hand I see no harm on trying to help or cross Europe to drop donations off. Some people have compassion and want to help “ somehow” … why there’s so many negative ppl against it ? I don’t get it but coming from here it doesn’t surprise me really.

Do we know if Polabd has the stuff they need? Always strikes me tgat you need to provide aid through multiple pincer approaches to actually help people quickly.

@SundayTeatime

Of course folk are critical when they can see people are being either dim, arrogant, show-offy, making the situation worse, and wilfully ignoring the advice, which is to give money. No arguing with stupid, though.

Exactly! The ones getting sniffy on here at people criticizing the virtue signallers, are clearly sore because we have hit a raw nerve.

Have any of the people driving van loads of things over ever cared about all the refugees we have already in the UK or the kids in their own town living below the poverty line? I doubt it. This is the first of many reasons why I'm a huge cynic.

People have been repeadly told not to donate items at this time, and even more so to drive them over. So to ignore experts in disaster and emergency work is truly ignorant and self centred. I work in this area and they really are experts. It's incredibly complex.

There are also several countries between here and there. Do we not think that other countries have people wanting to do similar? No wonder they're saying don't. Can you imagine the chaos of hundreds of vans full of god knows what. How on earth can it be sorted. Theyd need huge resources to do this. It is distracting at best.
Its natural to watch the news and feel passionate about helping people. But you have to do what is the right thing. Not what makes you feel better.
Sadly helping people doesn't always come with an obvious personal reward ot recognition.

@MurmuratingStarling I am not bitching about well meaning people

It’s sad people who need it here, including asylum seekers, are being ignored.

People in my area have been sending their old clothes and hand-me-down toys plus baked beans. There are charities on the ground which are in a better position to know what's actually needed. Perhaps instead of driving this stuff 1000s of miles we could sell it locally (boot fairs?) or on eg ebay or gumtree and then donate the proceeds to local charities or DEC.

[quote MrsLargeEmbodied]@MurmuratingStarling I am not bitching about well meaning people[/quote]
Neither is anyone else. People are NOT being negative about genuinely good, helpful people. They're only critical and negative about virtue signalling attention-seekers, posting about how much they have allegedly given to Ukraine, for the instagram and twitter and facebook 'likes.,' and all of the 'aww hun your an angle' comments. People who claim they don't know any, are probably one of these people.

@MadMadMadamMim

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.

God, I'm so glad you said this. I was absolutely sick of being asked to go to events and spend money to enable the most privileged 6th formers in our community to go to Tanzania. Nobody seemed to give a shit about the kids who couldn't go because it was beyond the finances or organisational skills of their parents. As you say, the value of what they did there was just about zilch. My own step kids did it because their mum supported it and it just made me cringe. They came back openly admitting they'd done bugger all to help the school they went to visit and it was all about the mountain backpacking they did afterwards. Ten years later my own son showed no interest and I was very relieved.

Money donations are best as relief workers haven't got the time/resources to sort through mountains of shizzle. As an aid volunteer pointed out on a recent news feed, Poland has shops as well that sell most of the same stuff that you can buy here!

In the other hand I see no harm on trying to help or cross Europe to drop donations off.

As has been pointed out ad nauseam, it's a ridiculously wasteful and inefficient way of getting aid out. If you donated the money rather than spend thousands on ferry + fuel + road tolls + food + hotels getting there etc it would go much much further and you wouldn't be clogging up the roads, using up petrol and creating extra busywork for the experts on the ground who have been doing this for twenty years. It's like a five-year-old trying to help you tidy up by piling up their toys in the middle of the kitchen floor.

@MurmuratingStarling…think you need to calm down,am guessing that ‘raw nerve ‘is giving you a lot of discomfort!! Go to bed early or have a glass of wine …be thankful that the huns and virtue signallers ,are all you need to stress about this evening!

This is why I have preferred to give money, either directly to the DEC or via the Red Cross.

That way it is all centrally organised and is spent (as far as I can see) on the stuff that is really needed, and taken to the agreed distribution points.

I can't give huge amounts, but I will give on a monthly basis for now.

@Pinklemonade1

Wow, so many negative, horrible comments on here.. Some people have worked really hard at collection points and the drivers themselves..this isnd for kudos, it's a genuine need that they want to help in a practical way rather than just sitting back and sending some money over. Some people can't afford to 'just donate'. If you have items that are no longer required, such as clothes that your children have grown out of, surely it's better to donate rather than it going to landfill. Such sanctimonious comments. Painful to read .

Totally agree with this!

Our local collection points are doing an amazing job and responding to the needs there.

This is their current list.

@AuxArmesCitoyens

In the other hand I see no harm on trying to help or cross Europe to drop donations off.

As has been pointed out ad nauseam, it's a ridiculously wasteful and inefficient way of getting aid out. If you donated the money rather than spend thousands on ferry + fuel + road tolls + food + hotels getting there etc it would go much much further and you wouldn't be clogging up the roads, using up petrol and creating extra busywork for the experts on the ground who have been doing this for twenty years. It's like a five-year-old trying to help you tidy up by piling up their toys in the middle of the kitchen floor.

Exactly, it's ridiculous, and the people on FB etc crowing about how amazing people are (who are sending lots of tat over to Ukraine and Poland) are utterly clueless as to how pointless some of it is. Giving money is FAR better. Not collecting tat for all the likes and praise on social media.

A friend of mine is working on the polish-Ukraine border. She says do NOT send clothes! She sent me pictures of huge piles that are unnecessary (and often in terrible condition) that are being burned. It’s a waste of aid workers’ time. There are lots of direct on-the-ground NGOs to help. Or ‘book’ on Airbnb in Ukraine and the money goes to people in need

Just because some 'collection point' on someone's facebook is asking for lots of bits and bobs, that doesn't automatically mean it's sensible to lug it all over to Eastern Europe. FFS! Are people being deliberately obtuse?!

@ChangeAndHelp

We’re in southern Germany. We have Ukrainian communities organizing convoys of stuff. Whilst I believe people do choose the more interesting ways- this stuff is needed.

Trains and transport go to a specific locations. Have you ever been to a huge gig, where 70,000 people try and leave at once an it takes ages? That’s the amount of refugees arriving every day - or have been. Over 3 million people have left Ukraine. There isn’t enough stuff or logistics from the local amenities to provide for that many people. You can’t shop for that many. I don’t think our minds can comprehend that there are so many people, they queue for 8hours at the border. (And that was a grandma of one of the kindergarten kids)

My colleague is in Berlin, her sister and nieces have arrived with only clothes on their back. There are people online asking for clothes for people they have put up.

When you get that many people in one place money sometimes isn’t useful.

Very well said! I wish all those complaining should read your post.

Absolutely agree. I am more than willing to help locally in the community and have registered interest in volunteering. The constant stream on LinkedIn as well with businesses showing what they are doing and driving goods etc. I work for a great B corp company and we have donated money and will give charitable grants in the UK to refugees. My boss is adamant sending goods just adds to the problem and is chaos for people on the ground to manage…

I live in mainland Europe and people are collecting stuff here left right and centre too. At least we only have to drive it nine hundred miles, not two thousand

Well its ok that people are being generous.

I don't get why so many are against helping others.

It's not OK if it creates extra hassle for people on the ground and stops them doing their job properly.