A collection point for donations to help Ukrainian refugees in Poland has been set up in the Campus Centre thanks to DMU Local and the De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU).
At the same time DMU Local is appealing for volunteers to help sift through gifts which have arrived at a sorting station based in East Street, Leicester tomorrow (Saturday 5 March) and next week. A lorry is due to take items to Poland on Saturday and then every week after that.
The DSU has also announced it will be holding a vigil for Ukraine on the Campus Centre steps at 5pm on Monday 7 March. Look out for more details about this over the weekend and on Monday morning.
The DMU collection point is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday in the Campus Centre.
DMU Local and the DSU are asking for donations of warm blankets, thermal sheets and sleeping bags as well as dry food with a long shelf life, such as instant noodles, energy bars and milk powder.
The collection point is also accepting first aid items, clothing – including new underwear – and hygiene products such as deodorants, wipes, sanitary products, nappies, shower gels, toothbrushes and hair brushes.
There is also an appeal for batteries, power banks, torches and phone chargers. The goods will be taken to a local sorting centre which is urgently in need of students and staff from DMU to help sift through the donations, so they can be loaded on to trucks and driven to Poland on a weekly basis.
If you would like to help out, the sorting centre will be open until 7pm tonight (Friday), and from noon-7pm tomorrow. It is located at East Street, Leicester LE1 6NB (around the back of East Street Lanes bowling and next to The Y Theatre).
If you would like to volunteer, email local@dmu.ac.uk to let the team know you are going, and turn up at the centre as and when you are available to help during the stated hours.
If you would like to donate towards helping refugees this weekend then we recommend you visit the Disasters Emergency Committee website.
The Government has pledged to match pound-for-pound up to £20 million in donations.
Posted on Friday 4 March 2022