MHR International, the HR, payroll and finance expert, has donated £10,000-worth of essential items to support The East Midlands Polish Scouting Association’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal and made a £10,000 donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal set up by The British Red Cross.
Alongside its donations, the Nottinghamshire-based firm also coordinated individual donations from its employees, which were collated at the firm’s head office ahead of being transported to Poland where it is hoped they will provide some relief to Ukrainian refugees arriving in the country.
Essential goods collected included blankets and sleeping bags, as well as toiletries, medical items, clothes and baby supplies. These will be delivered by truck, with the fuel costs also covered by MHR, who will be driving to four different locations in Poland.
The country, which shares a 310-mile land border with Ukraine, is estimated to have welcomed the majority of the 1.7 million refugees, with aid efforts largely operated by volunteers, as well as NGOs and municipalities within the region, making charitable donations of provisions critical.
The £10,000 donation will provide crucial funds to support the ongoing work of the DEC, a committee which unites 15 member charities who are experts in humanitarian aid and specialists in different areas of disaster response. They have already distributed over 30,000 food and hygiene parcels and provided food, warm clothes and other aid to around 8,000 people sheltering in metro stations in Ukraine.
Jessica Mills, chairman, MHR, said: “As a family-owned business, we felt very strongly about doing what we can to help those individuals and families fleeing Ukraine and we’re pleased to have been able to play a small role in providing donations to The Polish Scouting Association’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal.
“It is our sincerest hope that the donations we have made, both in essential items and to The British Red Cross, reach those who need it the most and provide some relief. We’d also like to thank Go Outdoors Nottingham for providing a substantial discount towards the goods purchased to ensure we could offer even more essential items.”
Danek Jackowski, district commissioner, The Polish Scouting Association, added: “Our hearts are with our Ukrainian friends, and we are proud of the incredible response in Poland to the escalating refugee crisis. We’re grateful to companies such as MHR for their generosity in supporting our Ukraine Crisis Appeal so we can continue to aid those who are desperately seeking refuge.”
