2022-05-18

Locals volunteer in Poland in aid of Ukraine

MAHONE BAY - Some donate money to a cause and others give of their time. Mahone Bay's Lynn Hennigar is among the masses who fit in both categories but, with her and her partner Adrian Bohach, the ongoing war in Ukraine brought things up to a different level in terms of a call to action.

Hennigar, Bohach and his son spent about 10 days in Poland volunteering at a Lublin warehouse where they helped sort and repackage humanitarian aid that made its way across the border to Ukraine citizens in need.

A couple of days and three flights later, they were on the ground on April 12 and ready for the task at hand. They paid out-of-pocket for their air travel, hotel and ground transportation.

Bohach, whose grandparents emigrated to Canada from Ukraine and once led a global agency dedicated to connecting aid groups, reached out to his network and found an organization that had a roadmap to get them doing hands-on work.

Hennigar's eyes were opened to a high-stakes volunteer humanitarian job, one near a war zone.

"This is the first time I've had the nudge to do something in a crisis, rather than write a cheque," she said in an interview. "That was pretty awesome."

Hennigar and company arrived at the warehouse, similar in size to a conventional big box store, about eight kilometres away from the hotel. They registered, donned safety gear, and take a position where they'd unload pallets stacked with a couple of dozen boxes that are filled with a mishmash of donations, such as clothes, hygiene products and children's toys.

Hennigar said she'd unpack boxes, sort the items and repack the contents into another box and stack those boxes onto another pallet. "You could see notes from the places where the donations were coming from," she added. "A majority come with a note from a family or a kid or an organization, saying 'we're with you' or 'stay strong,' that sort of thing."

The newly populated pallets would be bound for shipping to Ukraine. Hennigar said it was incredible seeing the drivers depart but sad knowing they'd be potential targets for shelling once they crossed the border.

Hennigar said her objective and that of the other volunteers was to unload, repack and re-stack as many pallets as possible.

"You get your box, you open it and then you run around distributing items into the right locations, which took us a bit of time to learn because (labelling) was in a language we do not speak," Hennigar said.

After a lunch break, their daily shift would end at about 4 p.m. "It's very fast-paced," Hennigar said. "It's the kind of work you feel gratified at the end of the day. You saw where you started and ended and (where) progress was made. You're tired from physical work but excited because it was useful physical work."

While some volunteers were there by means of commercial or non-profit entities, Hennigar said most of the warehouse volunteers were Ukrainian women who left their homeland for safety as their spouses had to stay and fight the Russians. "We met one family who escaped by car," she said. "There is a real sense of urgency and need behind this (humanitarian) work."

Hennigar and her travelling companions returned to Nova Scotia on April 23. Bohach and Hennigar are returning to Poland in the fall to continue volunteering and plan to stay longer.

At the Mahone Bay Centre on June 9, they're presenting to the community about their recent mission and explaining ways that others can help through volunteering.

Another local person who went to Poland to help, Seth Congdon of The Strayboar Project, an aid group comprised of military veterans, will also be present with Hennigar and Bohach. They all managed to cross paths while volunteering in Poland.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the large conference room at the centre.