A Leicester social club is appealing for clothes, medication, and sleeping bags to help soldiers fighting on the front line in Ukraine.
The Leicester Ukrainian Social Club organises a donation collection day every Friday, where the doors are open to the public to give away medical, food, toiletries, clothing, and other items.
The items are then sent to the war-torn country to be distributed to the army, children’s homes and other centres.
The club, in Fosse Road South, has become a major hub for people wishing to donate, with club member Mariana Dzus saying they have been inundated with supplies.
The 59-year-old said: “It is really hectic right now.
“What’s really in demand is items for soldiers, such as medication and camouflage.“
Once there are enough items to fill a lorry, the donations are driven over to the Polish-Ukrainian border.
Stefan Halik, who is also a member of the club and the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, says the logistics are very good but exact details of locations of the destinations cannot be revealed for security reasons.
The 63-year-old said: “We know where they’re going, but we keep it to ourselves.
“We’ve got a big warehouse in Lviv, and from there, the goods are then transported through the whole of Ukraine including Kyiv and the East.
“For one of our donations for instance, within five days of leaving Leicester, it was already in hospitals across East Ukraine – that’s how good our logistics are.”
Credit: Image created using Canva
The social club opened in the early 1960s and is self-funded, with the aim to create a place for a Ukrainian community in Leicester.
Since the start of the war, as well as organising donations, it has also helped Ukrainians who have fled the war-torn country.
Speaking about the Ukrainians at the social club who have fled from the war, Stefan said: “I don’t like the term refugees, they are guests.
“They have suffered trauma, they are shaken, and understandably they are not capable of speaking about their experiences.”
For more information about donating items to Ukraine, visit the club’s Facebook page
