Bill,
I have the ear of my corporate leadership for a donation to a Ukrainian relief fund. I was looking at the UNHCR for the refugee assistance. Is there any of the bigger organizations that you have seen or heard of doing good work on the ground that you can recommend.
This may be a sizable donation from a $1.25B company so they would want a bigger charity.
Oh and you'll see another donation for our grassroots efforts here next week. Keep up the great work.
In reply to bmw88rider :
One of my favourite charities, full stop, is Doctors without borders. They are a large secular charity that provides medical care and releif work to anyone effected by disaster or conflict.
While they are working extensively in Ukraine they are also active in other places like Haiti. Any donation would go into their general fund rather than be earmarked for Ukraine.
Which is good.
In reply to AClockworkGarage :
That is a good one. I have known a doctor that volunteered with them so I'm familiar with their mission. I'm presenting 3 choices so that would be a good one to add.
bmw88rider said:Bill,
I have the ear of my corporate leadership for a donation to a Ukrainian relief fund. I was looking at the UNHCR for the refugee assistance. Is there any of the bigger organizations that you have seen or heard of doing good work on the ground that you can recommend.
This may be a sizable donation from a $1.25B company so they would want a bigger charity.
Oh and you'll see another donation for our grassroots efforts here next week. Keep up the great work.
You are awesome for doing that, and thank you! Unfortunately I can't think of one other than the ones that have already been mentioned. I can still say that the Red Cross is a very effective and efficient organization and is doing some real good (professional) work at the borders. I do also like Clockworks suggestion. Those would be my two go-to's for big organizations.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
VikkiDp said:i want to share with you a few videos
they were make by very talented ukrainian guy
look! how beautiful and amazing my country is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHeOZLmXxn8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18vr4oiwO7c
if you want to know something about Ukraine you can ask me
wow, those are some awesome videos and some absolutely beautiful countryside!!! 
A lot of that reminds me of places I've visited in the US. I had no idea the landscape of Ukraine was so diverse, it's incredible!
Mayor Kozma was interviewed recently, here's the article (shamelessly google translated):
The Russian aggression against Ukraine almost set off a multitude of refugees at the outbreak of the war. Many people have come and are coming to Hungary as well. One of the most wonderful examples of assistance in Zala is what is happening in Kisgörbő. Mayor Gábor Kozma spoke about the details.
- What is the reason for the refugees in Kisgörb? for accommodation?
- Four or five days after the outbreak of the war, I sensed that the wave of refugees would arrive in the country at such a pace and intensity that it would soon reach Zala County as well. I then got in a car and went to Beregsurány to look around to see what the reality was. We approached several mayors in their border villages and I also talked to the volunteers. There were no charities there at the time, there was nothing there but the flood that simply came across the border. The problem was then solved everywhere by the mayors and their villages. This still lasted for a good few days. Well, then I came to the decision that the property owned by the municipality, which had been closed for years, could be used and made available to the refugees. Of course it is cold in it, the infrastructure, the facilities of the building are not really suitable to be accommodation, but still something, still a cover overhead. From then on, it was only a matter of time before the first refugee arrived. In short, that's the story.
- Still, that's how they got to Kisgörbő Refugees from Ukraine?
"I've seen it there, on the border, that there's no concept of distributing people, no idea who's going where and where." However, if someone visited and said they could offer accommodation then options became open. The demands were mainly made through the interpreters who were in contact with those coming to the border. I also indicated there that a building ready for reception will be available in Kisgörb in a week and a half. It’s been a week and a half while we’ve been working on this at home, with 25 volunteers a day doing what’s working here now. We have to imagine a completely dilapidated building, which we painted, paneled, selected for parts, solved the heating and repaired windows and doors.
- What made all this happen?
- From donations. There is not a single municipal forint in it.
- Was the Hungarian government among the donors?
- Nothing! Donations came from individuals and organizations I have relationships with. I emphasize that I invented the whole thing myself, and there was no central help for that.
- How many refugees can they accommodate here?
- It depends primarily on the infrastructure, which means a maximum of 40 people. There are currently thirty of us, and those here have arrived in about six installments. For the first ones, I went to Beregsurány for them - twice. I brought a total of 17 people back then. The climates were working by then, but it turned out that the ampere was low. It had to be solved, the toilets put in order, all the showers, all the boilers had to be replaced.
- How was all this received in the village?
- Some of the residents are passive, others are very active, because it is good for everyone's soul. Anyone who has an opinion on this, like mine, does not have to explain anything, and someone who has no opinion or is passive about it will remain passive in the future.
- How typical it was to be individuals did they give their heads to donation?
- An immeasurable amount of donations was received in the first two weeks. In essence, it had to be selected, as one refugee does not need to be given 8 liver creams. There is a family here that has eight people, grandpa and grandmother. There are also places where there are three children with an injured adult. And so on. Every family may be different, every story may be different, but everyone has the same pain or purpose.
- Is there a fluctuation already?
- Not yet, they're just coming. The "shelter" so far they did not leave. "Do they have any idea where they're going from here?" "They seem to be dominated by complete aimlessness." But the big thing is that they are at least safe. There is even a high degree of concern, as those who remain at home may be in doubt as to where the refugees have gone and those here are concerned about those who have remained at home.
Gábor Kozma, mayor
In that second picture, what you're seeing being made are "Chimney Cakes" (Kurtoskolacs) and my god are they delicious. They're usually something we get during festivals or fairs, but it looks like someone had a cooker they brought it. Typical flavors are cinnamon, vanilla, and almond. Cinnamon being my absolute favorite.
The duck flies, and the ghost lives. I put the duck on the dash instead of the grill, so it could be seen and so I could see it 
Here's yesterday's delivery in Budapest. The first stop was the student shelter.
I absolutely love this place and what these guys are doing. There have been some rule changes locally that make it harder for independents like Mayor Kozma and this shelter to get funding, but these guys are super chill about everything and can still operate 100% without that assistance. It's a place run by students and people not much older than students, and it's for college students. No one cares if you need to come in and crash on the couch, no one cares if you need to grab a bit more grub because you're starving. Just pick up after yourself, help out, and dont wreck the place. That's basically it.
Looking around I saw one TV and a GIANT chalk board with what I assume to be everyone's names listed vertically. On the X axis were the titles of video games (Mario Cart, smash bros, etc). In the grid was the top score for that game, next to the person who got it. I thought that was cool. Basically student life continuing like these people didnt have to run from their home country to have it. Were I 20 years younger, I'd never leave a place like that 
Not pictured above is a 2.5-meter by 1.5-meter Ukrainian flag that was hand delivered to the people running the place. AClockworkGarage on here sent the money and wanted to make sure that the people staying here knew that home was with them no matter where they are, and that they felt like they belong. It was a sentiment that the place was excited about expressing, and I was honored that I was able to deliver it in person. On my drive out of Budapest, I saw at least one more flag flying outside the window of a tall building.
Anyhoo, second stop was to the church in the 8th district.
Empty and headed back west.
I don't know if I just don't remember, or if I was never told what denomination this church is, but the pastor (David Kovacs) makes rounds to the government shelters local to Budapest. Being state sponsored, people have what they need, but nothing in excess. Mr. Kovacs makes routine visits and can bring in things in to help fill gaps. By the looks of his donation table, it looks like he was close to running on empty (or maybe he just finished rounds and hadn't restocked). Either way, he should have enough clothes, toys, bedding, and blankets to hold him over for quite some time.
And speaking of heading west: Awful weather yesterday (and today). Pouring rain, and visibility sucked. I was in the fast lane and passing 18-wheelers when I caught a glimpse of a car with Ukrainian plates pulled to the side of the road, broken down. I was about to signal and try to swerve, but let's face it. A 30-year old Toyota in wet road conditions isn't exactly a fast mover. Luckily for me, the brand-stinking-new Land Rover ahead of me was, and it immediately got over and 4-grown men popped out and were using the thumbs up to ask if everything was ok. I like seeing action like that. It reminds me that everyone out there is doing something and like Clockwork said to someone, it makes a world of difference.
So tomorrow is the visit to Kisgorbo, and I've been getting set up. I've got Woody's soccer balls and air pumps and I also got an e-mail asking if I had any "stuffies". I was a bit embarrassed as I am the father of 2-kids and did not have a single stuffie to hand out... Well, that all changed today. The person in question sent 50,000 forint on behalf of their children, and I added 50,000 forint on behalf of mine.
In town we have a toy shop called "Jatekvaros" (yah-tek-var-osh) it translates to "Toy Town" in English and the guy that owns it is 100% the sort of person that should be running the toy store, if you catch my drift. If you've seen a Christmas movie with a jolly toy store owner, then you've seen this guy. Here's a picture of his car. He parks it in the same place every day, and Garfield is always parked in the driver's seat. When the weather is nice, we walk our kids to school and we're always sure to pay his car a visit.
I was the first customer to walk into the toy store this morning and I simply said to the toy town owner "I've got one-hundred-thousand-forint, and I'm gonna need just about every stuffie you can give me.
Owner: I'm sorry, one-hundred-THOUSAND forint???
yes
Owner: For stuffies?
yes.
Owner: Just stuffies?
yes
Owner: One-hundred-thousand forint... For stuffies.
Yes. Gifts for the refugees.
*there was a long pause while this new and shocking information is digested by the recipient.*
Owner: Well.. I guess... uh. yeah... Well, I guess uh you and I are going to need a couple baskets then...
Guys, we tore that store up! Nothing was sacred and nothing was off limits. We emptied shelves, we raided displays, we were on a ROLL! We got animals of all sorts, we got horses, we got dogs, we got rabbits, we got raccoons, we got ones that look real, and we got ones with silly colors, we even got peppa pig and paw patrol! We grabbed sonic the hedgehog, we snagged a super mario, and then it was on to dragons, dinosaurs, alligators, and Gary the snail from spongebob. We even grabbed a smiling blue flower that we thought was just way too cool to pass up. We brought it all up to the counter and tallied up the total. 98-thousand, four-hundred and change.
Well that certainly was not the one-hundred-thousand we were after, so I went back to grab ONE more guy. It is THE softest and THE cutest owl I think I've ever seen. Just like the one in Harry Potter. Adding his cost (six-thousand forint) put us over our budget, but the store owner waived the extra and tossed it in mostly free and he even waived the tax on the whole lot
(yeah, I know he looks serious but I promise he's anything but. Hungarians always seem to like to take such stoic pictures)
It was raining today so we had to toss all the stuffies into a trash bag for transporting. We apologized to them, but we didn't want them getting wet so in they went (I imagine it wasn't comfortable at all for these guys). But walking through town and back to my truck with that bag over my shoulder and that tall flower in my hand, I must have been quite the sight! I felt like Santa Clause with his bag of toys.
Anyhoo, I got them set up in the back of the truck and this next picture is 100% Grassroots:
I've finally got the beers bought for the workers. The packs are from a local craft brewery, and it's family owned so I thought it was appropriate as the donation came from BeerBaron and FlynLow. The MGD, I know is a bit of a WTF to us, but out here it's really the only American beer we can get (Budweiser is available, but it's Czech). It's kinda spendy so no one really buys it unless it's a special occasion. It's considered "quality stuff". Anyhoo, as we're Americans, I thought a good ol fashioned MGD for the mayor was appropriate
Also included are Woody's soccer balls, and I've got three pumped up for the occasion and will have a pump available for the place if they don't have one already. I even tossed in the sunflower seeds from Vikki's last post. Maybe there's a spot that can be cleared out in Kisgorbo to plant these and bring a bit of the Ukrainian countryside to Hungary.
This is going to be a good visit.
VikkiDp said:In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :
oh, hungarian gouliash tastes delicious - i've tasted it in Budapest
and of course Ukrainian equivalent is borsh
I advise and recommend you to ask Ukrainian women to cook this for you - it's very very yummy
i think they'll be glad to do it for you or do you want to do it by himself? then i write you a recipe
Oh man, if you've got a good recipe please do share it! A lot of us are very spread out across the US so we have a hard time knowing which recipes are real, and which were changed to suit our American tastes. Getting it directly from the source (you) would let everyone make "real deal" Borsh
This is such great stuff sir. Keep on restoring my faith in humanity please.
Yes. Please share some good authentic recipes. I have a few from family in the region but always love more. Those chimney cakes look amazing.
Those stuffies for the kids are such a great thing. These posts keep reminding me that there are good people in the world.
Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:Not pictured above is a 2.5-meter by 1.5-meter Ukrainian flag that was hand delivered to the people running the place.
Pics, or it didn't happen.
AClockworkGarage said:Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:Not pictured above is a 2.5-meter by 1.5-meter Ukrainian flag that was hand delivered to the people running the place.
Pics, or it didn't happen.
I sent him a message on whatsapp, I'll let you know as soon as I get a reply
84FSP and bmw88rider, this one's for you. It's our visit to Kisgorbo last Saturday:
So bear with me as this is going to be very picture heavy. I'll add in comments where necessary, but basically Mayor Kozma is scheduling events at the shelter to break the monotony and to entertain the kiddos. Saturday's event was with therapy dogs:
All the doors have art on them of some sort. Those two were my favorites.
These next two photos are pre and post construction. In previous posts the Mayor mentioned that the open floor space wasn't working because of the privacy needs of the residents. Even among families, we all need our personal space. In that spirit, they're splitting the large singular rooms into smaller rooms. They lose a little living space that way, but gain their privacy. The first picture is still under construction, but the second picture was completed and a new family with a baby and two cats are scheduled to arrive shortly:
Looks like they're building play structures outside as well. I noticed in previous pictures that were shared that they welded up a swing set, but it looks like they're in the process of making other additions too.
For the next photos, I really need to emphasize how much dogs are not "pets" out here. To us in the US, we're going to see a family friendly golden retriever and a lab-ish sort of pup, which probably would register about a negative-ten on our vicious scale. Out here dogs are 4-legged burglar alarms at best (and more often furry all-weather home defense). What these guys are seeing are "two big dogs". People weren't necessarily at ease as this all started
(eldest Hungarling petting the lab in the first pic. Youngest hungarling at the bottom of the pic in the blue jacket. The lady in the red who is petting the golden retriever is the Hungarian-Ukrainian interpreter):
Ok, the girl in the photo above? She's "it". She is going to chase the other kids with her flower wand, and if she catches them then the kids have to freeze in place.
The kids can only be unfrozen if a dog runs between their legs. Some of the kids were a little on the small side, so they had to be picked up or helped in place as the dogs ran under:
After that, they had all the kids line up and the dogs took turns running under the tunnel they made:
Ok, so after that people were getting a little more comfortable with the puppers so the next activity was joining hands and making a circle. The pups would then zig-zag jump over their arms (in and out of the circle)
After that, they did some relay races. The kids weren't 100% comfortable enough to feed the pups yet, so they put a treat on the end of a spoon and ran it to the dogs. Dogs ate it, kids ran back and first line to finish wins
Next up was crab-walks (or at least I think that's what we call it). They had plastic balls the kids would carry on their bellies and drop into a bin near the pups. The pups would help if the kids dropped the ball and retrieve it for them:
And for the finale: Enter Mayor Kozma.
The next trick was to have the kids lay down and have them eat a treat off of wherever you placed it (forehead, belly, etc). Except of course all the aforementioned disclaimers about dogs. So they brought out Mayor Kozma and had him put a treat on himself to be the test victim. He put the treat on his ear, and everyone had a great laugh about that!
After that, much treating followed.
I think we went three or four rounds of laying down and hiding treats. The kids LOVED it!
It was pretty much a free-for-all after that. Lots of plastic balls were thrown, dogs were pet.... the Hungarlings had spent a bit of time folding paper ninja stars and those got handed out and thrown around as well. Turns out you dont need to say a word when you've all got paper ninja stars, everyone already knows what to do 
After that it was time for the pups to go. We took a photo, said goodbye and headed back to the main building for lunch
On the way in, the kids had to pass by the truck, so we brought out the fresh fruit, beer, and the boys set up the stuffy stand for people to pick from:
Four kids picked out stuffies. Sonic the hedgehog, a husky, a horse, and a big fluffy owl. One girl came back and asked if she could also have that gigantic flower (of course she can!). We were there for about 2-more hours and every time we passed one of those kiddos in the hallway, they were carrying their brand new stuffie.
And then we had Borsh!!!
One grandmother was VERY concerned that our youngest wasn't getting enough sweets. She made him crepes (in hungarian it's "palacsinta", but I cant remember how to say it now in Ukrainian. Maybe Vikki can help), and covered them with apricot jam. After that it was bread with more apricot jam, and then she brought him an orange (the oldest got an apple)
Grandmothers. Turns out they're the same everywhere
Mayor Kozma did ask if we thought an official letter was necessary (due to the large amount of donations from here). I told him that nothing like that was needed, and that we were sharing all his updates with the community. So he'll continue to update and we'll continue to share. But he did want to say "thanks for making this all possible".
It really was an awesome event. Cheers guys.
Next up is our medical supply delivery to the Hospitallers, currently scheduled for this weekend. We have about 600,000huf of supplies on order locally, about 200,000huf on order online (all shows "shipped"), and one more person in town collecting medicine as well.
As none of it has arrived yet, I've been using my time to lick some wounds. The truck needs it's cylinder heads re-torqued as I had the engine apart about 1000-miles ago. I gotta change the oil as well, and while I'm in there I've noticed it's starting to leak a bit.
Oh, and the front-end alignment is way off. I can see lots of visible camber on the passenger side but have idea why yet.
I will admit to being more than just a little stressed about not receiving the stuff we've ordered yet, but Mrs. Hungary is on it and has taken over the donations and deliveries. We understand that canned food and drinking water are starting to go up in price in Ukraine (due to low supply and high demand) and the organization we're delivering to is expanding to accept those as well. Meanwhile, I've just changed shifts which means I can wake up early and get an hour or so of wrench time before I need to be at work in the mornings so hopefully I'll be able to knock my list out before the long drive.
Fingers crossed.
Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:AClockworkGarage said:Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:Not pictured above is a 2.5-meter by 1.5-meter Ukrainian flag that was hand delivered to the people running the place.
Pics, or it didn't happen.
I sent him a message on whatsapp, I'll let you know as soon as I get a reply
As if, on cue:
That would be the view as you stand in the front door, and would be the first thing you saw walking in. Front desk is just to the right, and it looks like they printed something with similar sentiments and hung it just to the left.
Awesome work sir - you guys made a lot of smiles there. A bit of pet therapy goes a long way to take folks minds off their challenges. Just psyched to see some humanity coming out of a crap situation.
Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:I've finally got the beers bought for the workers. The packs are from a local craft brewery, and it's family owned so I thought it was appropriate as the donation came from BeerBaron and FlynLow. The MGD, I know is a bit of a WTF to us, but out here it's really the only American beer we can get (Budweiser is available, but it's Czech). It's kinda spendy so no one really buys it unless it's a special occasion. It's considered "quality stuff". Anyhoo, as we're Americans, I thought a good ol fashioned MGD for the mayor was appropriate
LOL! Whatever beer makes everyone happy! I'm not as much of a beer snob as most would expect.
I went to brewing school in Berlin. I am a fan of Budvar (Augustus Busch named his beer in its honor). I'm fairly certain that I use the Budvar yeast strain to ferment our flagship lager.
Man... I am more emotional in the mornings. This thread, everything that is happening, and all the work that has been done, and how big the crisis is has me tearing up. Just imagining you walking into a toy store and doing your best Ron Swanson, "I'd like all of the stuffies you have."
Who, me? No, it's just allergies. Springtime and all that...
Edit: Is that a Rainier on the gate of the 4Runner?
DarkMonohue said:Who, me? No, it's just allergies. Springtime and all that...
Very dusty in my office just now, indeed.
Thanks for the updates and the pictures, Bill. Thanks even more for being a great human.
84FSP said:Awesome work sir - you guys made a lot of smiles there. A bit of pet therapy goes a long way to take folks minds off their challenges. Just psyched to see some humanity coming out of a crap situation.
Me too. 
It's inspiring to see so many people pulling together to help out.
In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :
Yeah, springtime allergies, that's the ticket. Eyes super watery right now.
yippe! i've read all posts that i missed
Good things continue and i'm so happy for that!!!
There are so many people with great and kind hearts around us
and it really allows us to believe that humanity will always win!!!
i believe that there are more good people in the world than bad ones
Bill, the story about toys store makes me cry and smile
You and Mrs.Hungary are people with big soul
i've seen all question from you - i'll answer later
and i want to tell you a lot more
tuna55 said:DarkMonohue said:Who, me? No, it's just allergies. Springtime and all that...
Very dusty in my office just now, indeed.
Thanks for the updates and the pictures, Bill. Thanks even more for being a great human.
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