Toulouse: a company mobilizes and organizes a convoy for Ukraine
On the night of April 7, Stéphanie Lesage and three Toulouse residents left for Medika, on the border between Poland and Ukraine. They take the road with two vans filled with donations and intend to bring back refugees.
4 a.m. Stéphanie Lesage, communication manager in the Lucera company and Serge Matirnez, her boss, are preparing to hit the road on the night of Thursday April 7. On the GPS: 24 hours of journey announced and as destination: Medyka, on the border between Poland and Ukraine. They are paired with two other Toulouse residents Sylvain and Stéphane and two vans loaded with donations.
At the initiative of the project, Stéphanie Lesage summarizes: “We asked for donations, to help Ukrainian refugees, in three schools in Toulouse and in two physiotherapists.” In four days of harvesting, the scale of the donations was so great that the communications manager had to reserve a second truck to leave. It is the realization of Stéphanie Lesage’s need to act. “I saw on television the call for solidarity convoys and I wanted to do something. I asked my colleagues to help me and my boss followed me. The company paid for the rental of trucks and made available boxes and a storage place.”
In the boxes: more than 25 strollers, thousands of compotes, hundreds of packets of canapes, but also other basic necessities and toys for children. “There was really solidarity”, is surprised herself Sandrine.
Bringing refugees back to Toulouse
The objective of the four Toulouse residents is to spread donations on the border between Poland and Ukraine, to facilitate the movement of refugees to dedicated areas and to lend a hand to those in need. Above all, when they return on April 13, they hope to bring back seven Ukrainians.
“I am already in contact with Tatiania and her son. I saw a car with Ukrainian registration last week in Toulouse, and I left a note on the windshield to offer them to bring members of their family. And they called me back,” says the 40-year-old. Once in Toulouse, families, who also donated to schools, offered to host refugees.