Charity campaign “Compatriots for compatriots” launched by the Vilnius Patriotic Youth (WMP)

In winter this year young people and volunteers from Odra-Niemen (The Oder-Neman) Association attended the meeting arranged by the circle of the Association of Poles in Lithuania (ZLP) called the Vilnius Patriotic Youth. During a discussion the participants came up with an idea of organizing a collection of gifts for Polish families living in the Vilnius region.

We decided that our friends from Poland will organize a collection and we will divide the gifts here in the Vilnius region. The plan started to be implemented on February 28^th when the All-Polish Youth (MW) from Gdańsk launched “Compatriots for compatriots” campaign. Compatriots from Silesia and Warsaw also joined the campaign.

We received the first gifts just after the Easter holidays. Boys from Warsaw also collected some groceries that we delivered together with the gifts collected within “Compatriots for compatriots” campaign. It took us plenty of time to separate groceries and to pack them together with other gifts. As we managed to order everything, we started to deliver the packages. The first packages containing school supplies and required reading books were delivered to St John Bosco High School in Jałówka. A day room “Home that is waiting” in Naujoji Vilnia was the second place we visited. We have left there a slew of toys, games, several packages containing groceries and a few household cleaning products.

As a youth organization we do not have any information on families living in the Vilnius region who need help. That is why we approached Beata Czaplińska, a head of the “Philanthropy Plus” association. The organization supports Polish families living in the Vilnius region who are in urgent need of help. There are over 200 (!) of them. We decided, therefore, to donate some part of the gifts exactly to these families. The packages contained primarily groceries, but we also donated carpets, toys, air mattresses, household cleaning products as well as clothes. On May 7^th we delivered the packages that will be soon donated to the families. We personally visited one of the families – a single mother with five children. We gave them two packages containing groceries, but we will visit them again soon – this time we will take toys with us.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Patryk Palacha and the boys from Pomerania for their idea, the collection and transporting all the gifts to Vilnius. We also thank the boys from Warsaw who delivered a large part of groceries. We are grateful to Beata Czaplińska who received some part of the gifts and will deliver them to the families. We also express our thanks to the school in Jałówka as well as the day room “Home that is waiting”. We remember about the volunteers who helped us separate and deliver all the gifts!

Information of the Vilnius Patriotic Youth