A HAMPSHIRE charity has successfully delivered 3,300kg of food and supplies for companion animals to charities on the Polish/Ukrainian border.
DogsnHomes Rescue has arranged three missions since the war began – delivering 9,000kg of donated aid, worth more than £30,000.
The charity, which operates from Fleet, rescues unwanted dogs from Portugal and the UK, but when the war in Ukraine broke out, it decided to broaden its role and help those in need.
Through a fundraising appeal and generous donations of food from Pet’s Corner in Fleet and Yora in Haywards Heath, the team and volunteers loaded their vans at the The Tweseldown pub car park in Church Crookham and drove to the border near Krościenko, Poland.
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They left with four volunteers, three vans, 3,300kg of supplies and travelled 1,717km.
There they rendezvoused with two Ukrainian animal charities, which accepted the food and supplies before transferring them straight to shelters in Kyiv and Kharkiv.
During the return journey, the DogsnHomes team stopped at the main refugee reception centre in Przemyśl, Poland and offered their expertise with the animal transportation process. They also spent time unpacking humanitarian aid, including clothing for the refugees.
The group offered their free van space to take refugees across Europe to any destination.
Eventually they agreed to take a family, who they later dropped off in Amsterdam where the Netherlands aid agency already had a host family waiting for them.
Charity co-founder and volunteer, Gary Baxter said: “We covered 2,740 miles in six days, met some amazing people and did exactly what we set out to do - deliver aid and help a family. Mission accomplished!
"I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported DogsnHomes Rescue so generously with donations of money, food, supplies and their time. Please continue to support us, every donation counts.”
DogsnHomes Rescue is planning its another aid mission in the coming weeks and their progress can be tracked via Facebook.
Donations can also be made via justgiving.com/campaign/ukraine-peoplespets.
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