400 volunteers, 382 boxes...10,000 items!
After last year's success, Sunday 16 November saw another mass World Jewish Relief (WJR) "Packathon" at the WJR warehouse in Neasden, supported by The Jewish Community Centre for London (JCC) Mitzvah Day. Almost 400 volunteers packed a remarkable 382 boxes full of humanitarian aid that will be sent to deprived Jewish communities across Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union.
Participants aged between 5 and 85, sorted and boxed thousands of new and nearly new goods - including winter clothing and shoes, children's toys, bedding, school stationary, incontinence pads and nappies - that have been generously donated by the UK Jewish community, as well as manufacturers and wholesalers, through WJR's unique Gifts in Kind (GiK) humanitarian relief programme.
The boxes were prepared to load into a huge 40 foot trailer that will be sent to vulnerable Jews and non-Jews before the end of the year; WJR anticipate that this shipment will help more than 8,000 people by providing families with a new piece of clothing or a toy for their child and giving elderly recipients a stock of everyday sanitary items that no-one should go without.
The beneficiaries of WJR's vital humanitarian aid often live in hostile environments and lack even the most basic necessities. The donated goods are distributed according to need under careful and diligent local supervision.
Rosalind Bluestone, who heads WJR's Gifts in Kind programme said:
"WJR's 2008 annual Packathon was a vibrant and upbeat event. People of all ages were eagerly packing and sorting vital aid at our NW London warehouse for the impoverished communities we support - the atmosphere was electric and the support was totally overwhelming. We gratefully received quality goods from corporate donors as well as brand new items donated by both shul and community members. This contribution will help people who have to make daily choices as to whether to buy food, medicines or clothing for their children. It means their meagre incomes will stretch a little further.The regular shipments we send are eagerly awaited."
Since January of this year, WJR's Gifts in Kind programme has sent 31 of these consignments so far this year, with four more planned to the Jewish community members across Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, including to Serbia, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, and Hungary -- a record for the charity and a lifeline for so many.
