by Kelly Proctor –
In response to the June 1 article that appeared in the Southside Sentinel, I am reporting back about the trip that my partner Dariusz Siuta and I made to his hometown of Rzeszow, Poland; and the donations from Urbanna and Middlesex County residents that we facilitated giving to Ukrainian refugees.
During Dariusz’s and my two-week trip to Rzeszow in June and July, we toured the city’s only refugee shelter; met with one of the managing officials working there, Marciej Kaltenberg; and personally handed off the money that was donated by residents of Urbanna and the Middlesex County Rotary Club, directly to several refugees themselves.
On one visit to the shelter, located in the shops of a former mall, Kaltenberg spoke to us about how his organization preemptively began setting up the facility weeks before the war began, anticipating that Putin would invade Ukraine even as the Russian president was covert about his intentions.
Kaltenberg then described how, soon after the invasion, busloads of Ukrainians began arriving in Rzeszow, inundating the 500-bed shelter night after night. Shellshocked and exhausted, the refugees could stay in the shelter a short while as they looked for more permanent lodging and work.
Later in the tour, Dariusz and I got to meet several of these refugees, who ranged from pregnant women and toddlers to the elderly. Dariusz stood in front of a small crowd and spoke in Polish about how Urbanna and Middlesex residents wanted to help the refugees with a small donation as they began a new life.
As his words were translated to Ukrainian by a translator, cheers went up and smiles began to spread across faces; for a group of people who had lost so much, the small donations – around $100 each, which exchanged to approximately 500 Polish zlotych – represented an unexpected but welcome kindness.
“We deeply thank the people of Urbanna and Middlesex for their generous donations to the Ukrainian refugees,” said Marciej Kaltenberg, in comments translated from Polish.
“As an aid worker who on many days sees people in distress and transition, it was very meaningful to be able to share this good news and facilitate these heartfelt donations.”
I sincerely thank my mother, Martha Heric, who spearheaded the donation effort in Urbanna and Middlesex; and Dariusz, who came up with the idea and organized it in Poland.
Civic clubs or individuals who wish to donate to the Rzeszow shelter may call or text Urbanna resident Martha Heric at 804-815-8629; or donate to the general Ukraine relief effort.
Kelly Proctor is the daughter of Urbanna resident Martha Heric.
