GIFT sends tonnes of emergency supplies to Lviv
Collection organised after the Rabbi and Rebbetzin of the Western Ukraine city put out an urgent call
Jeremy Last is assistant web editor at the Jewish News. He lives in Israel, and is currently in his second stint at the JN, having worked for the paper back in the early 2000s!
Jewish charity GIFT sent thousands of pounds worth of goods of to the Ukraine this week after the Rabbi and Rebbetzin of Lviv put out an urgent call for emergency supplies.
Just hours after the collection began on Sunday, community member Shloimie Chontow flew to Poland with nine suitcases of food and medicine. On arrival he met up with a van driver who took the packages across the border to Lviv.
Chontow had been contacted by by Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo Bald and his wife Sara, who told him that supermarket shelves in the western Ukraine city were totally empty and no food was available. They also said a curfew made it difficult for people to access supplies.
He immediately called Michelle Barnett, GIFT’s Founding Director, who sent out text messages & social media requests to its huge network asking for dry non-perishable food items at their GIFT Giving Hub in North West London.
Within just two hours, thousands of pounds worth of food and essential items had poured in.
Medicines were generously donated through Hatzola UK & hundreds of people from across the community brought food purchased in local shops.
Volunteers and friends then helped take Chontow and his nine suitcases to the airport.
Following the success of the collection, GIFT arranged a 24-tonne truck to take the remainder of the provisions to Lviv.
They included goods collected at Edgware and Saatchi Synagogue ,as well as two pallets of toys and games donated by The Happy Puzzle Company.
GIFT also collected warm clothing for the children of Tikva Orphanage in Odessa & other Ukrainian Jewish refugees which were sent to Romania where they have relocated.
And last week GIFT collected 500kg of sweets, snacks and crisps for children of Ukrainian refugees currently in Moldova in response to a request by the Chabad Rabbi of Kishinev.
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