"We're in Touch Every Week": Another Humanitarian Aid Shipment from Sister City Kielce Arrives in Vinnytsia

On March 8, the 16th humanitarian aid shipment from Kielce arrived in Vinnytsia. It was collected by the entire community of the Polish city, with representatives of business and NGOs joining in with the collection.

"Our sister city of Kielce has handed over another cargo of aid - almost 9 tonnes. The Kielce for Vinnytsia campaign brought together residents from all over the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship - more than fifty different organisations, from kindergartens and schools to municipal institutions and various businesses. The collection was initiated by the Kielce City Government together with the KAGANEK Foundation and the Integration Europe-East Society. It is really touching. The people of Kielce are sincerely concerned about Vinnytsia and Ukraine. And it was from Kielce that the first humanitarian aid came to Vinnytsia. In total, the twin city has handed over almost 200 tonnes of aid to us over the past year," said Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov.

The destination of the humanitarian aid was the Interregional Humanitarian Coordination Centre. Representatives of the Podilska Hromada Charitable Foundation will sort and distribute the aid on the spot.

"Perhaps there was not a week when we did not get in touch. Vinnytsia and Kielce have 65 years of sister city relations. It is important that this is not a formal relationship on paper, but a true friendship. The Kielce community helps us in every way: they send us food and other goods, take our children to their place for recreation, etc. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the mayor of Kielce, Bogdan Wenta, Karol Gadowski, and the people of Kielce who are with us wholeheartedly. We appreciate it and are very grateful. I would also like to thank the Kaganek NGO, which was involved in the collection of this cargo, and the Europe-East Integration NGO, which has partnerships with the Podillia community and Vinnytsia. They received our citizens and our children, and this work continues," said Pavlo Yablonskyi, Chairman of Vinnytsia City Council.

The humanitarian aid includes 1,000 food packages of cereals, oil, tea and coffee, canned food and goulash. It also includes household chemicals and hygiene products, baby food and diapers, clothes and footwear.

"This shipment also includes targeted aid for IDPs from Bakhmut. These are employees of one of the enterprises that relocated from Donetsk to Vinnytsia region to the city of Khmilnyk. There are 190 people there, and our Polish partners have sent this aid specifically for them. They will receive it next week. So far, the humanitarian aid is being sorted," added the Chairman of Vinnytsia City Council.

Andrii Ocheretnyi, Deputy Mayor of Vinnytsia, added that the city of Kielce has been lending a friendly shoulder to the community of Vinnytsia since the first day of the full-scale invasion.

"The Humanitarian Centre, which has been operating in the city for over a year, has been joining forces and sending help where it is most needed. We are taking care of IDPs, low-income families and the de-occupied territories. This is not the first tranche of humanitarian aid from Kielce, as we have already received many shipments, including two buses. It was a timely assistance for us, as we gave some of the vehicles to the frontline," said Andrii Ocheretnyi.