A Jaffrey woman, Ilona Kwiecien, is in Poland now. She traveled there a little more than a week ago to see how she could help. Ilona will share stories of her experiences and the people she speaks with who are helping Ukrainian refugees as Russia’s attack on their country continues. We are sharing her reports, and this is her first “Dispatch From Poland.”
Ilona was inspired to help by the people who helped her parents, Polish refugees after World War II, get to the United States when she was just a year old. She also has personal history in Ukraine, having spent two-and-a-half years in Kiev as a military attaché, and brings unique skills to the table, as the languages she speaks include Polish, Russian and English.
Ilona’s’s bravery to fly into an unknown situation in Poland because she wants to assist is both heartwarming and inspiring.
Others in the region are helping, as well. Volunteers at the Rindge swap shop sorted through items people had dropped off and filled 28 boxes of donations for refugees, and Peterborough Food Pantry collected 100 cases of food. A few days after All Saints Church in Peterborough announced it would be collecting items for the refugee-assistance organization NuDay, people were filling the church garage with items.
A group of residents and businesses in Jaffrey also began collecting items for NuDay, and by Friday morning, had collected enough donations to fill four trucks, which volunteers loaded at the Monadnock Plaza in Jaffrey on Friday morning.
Grand Monadnock Rotary contributed more than $2,000 to Rotary Clubs in Poland that are working to support refugees, and a group of local artists and ConVal High School students will donate the proceeds of postcards sold at Carroll House Art Gallery in Keene this Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. to the American Red Cross.
“The nature of what’s occurring and how bad it was made me feel like I needed to do something,” said Keene State art student Riley Young of Antrim, who is helping coordinate the sale at Carroll Art House, expressing a sentiment no doubt shared by many of the people who have been helping. Individually and collectively, actions matter. Let’s keep doing all we can to help those in need.