The sympathy and helpfulness of the people runs through the entire district these days. Social media are calling for donations, transporters with relief supplies are making their way to the Ukrainian border, people are singing at peace demonstrations, and the victims of the war are being commemorated and debated. Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is also leaving its mark here.
On Monday evening, a transporter started from Ottobrunn via Lenggries to Hungary, bulging with donations. Elika Voigt-Nestinger started a collection campaign via Facebook on Sunday to help “people in need”, as she says. It was actually an action by her son Robert, who lives in Lenggries and who then drove off to Hungary with the collected items. The plan is for him to drive to the Ukrainian border via Hungary. But since many people are already stranded at the train station in Budapest, he first wants to see whether help is needed there.
Volunteers started a fundraising campaign in Ottobrunn. The result: a transporter bulging with relief supplies.
(Photo: private)
Voigt-Nestinger was “overwhelmed” by the helpfulness of the people from Ottobrunn and the surrounding area. When she called for the campaign on Sunday, helpers had brought so many hygiene items, baby food and animal feed within a short time that the van was full within an hour. “It’s nice that people show so much solidarity,” she says.
It is also a private contact that triggered a spontaneous collection campaign by the Catholic parish of St. Stefan in Gräfelfing in coordination with the Asylum Würmtal helpers’ group. The contact leads to western Ukraine, to an employee of the local Caritas in the diocese of Mukachevo. “He comes to Graefelfing personally to pick up the donations in a truck,” says Pastor Markus Zurl – and drives back and forth between Ukraine and Graefelfing several times. The helper has compiled a list of items that are particularly needed, including blankets, sleeping bags, hygiene items, bandages, thermal underwear, but also long-life foods such as pasta, rice, flour or canned goods. “The donations are collected in the rectory,” says Zurl. The parish has set specific times when donations can be made: on Saturday, March 5, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., on Sunday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and on Monday and Tuesday, March 7 and March 8, at the same times as on Saturday.
The people of Pullach are also very willing to help. Mayor Susanna Millennium (Greens) says she was overwhelmed: “Together with the partnership association, we started a call for donations and a number of donations were received in the first few days.” First and foremost, these funds will go to the people in the Pullach partner communities of Baryschiwka and Beresan. In addition, they would constantly receive inquiries about how best to help now. All citizens would have offered housing and donations in kind. This potential for helpfulness now needs to be coordinated so that it doesn’t fizzle out, saysexpand friend. For this purpose, a coordination center for Ukraine aid was quickly set up, including a direct telephone number (089/744 74 43 99) and an e-mail address ([email protected]).
The first Ukrainians will arrive in Pullach this week. The accommodation is guaranteed, but more living space is being sought, saysexpand friend, who herself will take in a woman with a child from a family friend from Baryshiwka. “They have already crossed the border to Poland and will stay with me. Three friends they met on the way will also come to Pullach.” But the initiative also comes from the people themselves. For example, four of the local boy scouts rented the community bus, filled it to the roof with relief supplies and set off towards Ukraine. “When they left on Monday evening, they didn’t know whether they were taking the goods to the Polish or Hungarian border,” reportsexpanding friend. On the way back, they will bring refugees to Munich. Accommodation for these people has already been organized.
Elsewhere, people are setting clear signals for peace and solidarity with public events. So in Unterschleißheim – and it was an action that could hardly have been more spontaneous. Last Friday evening, Benjamin Straßer, initiator of the “Lichtblicke” benefit concert series, was out with his club colleague and friend Michael Kavelar, debating the events in the Ukraine. And felt they wanted to go somewhere with their questions and thoughts. Since nothing of the sort had been planned in Unterschleißheim to date, the two musicians and organizers decided to set up a peace rally themselves for Sunday evening. “We wanted to create a place for ourselves, but also for others, where you can come together with your bewilderment, your anger, your despair,” says Straßer. Given the short planning time, the response was overwhelming. About 200 people came to the town hall square, the brass band and the choir performed pieces, the young group of poets “Umbrella Poets” made a joint contribution, Mayor Christoph Böck (SPD) spoke. A Ukrainian couple spoke spontaneously from the stage about their worries and fears regarding the Russian invasion. “It was nice to see that we share this need and that we could perhaps make a small contribution to making this topic visible here on site,” says Straßer on Tuesday. Anyone who wants to help with donations in kind can hand them in on Thursday, March 3rd from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Unterschleißheim festival site (in particular sleeping bags, insulating mats, bed linen, medical bandages, diapers and thermal underwear for children and adults).
City councilor Daniela Rieth (Greens) also wants to set an example in Garching. She suggests that the city council initiate a peace demonstration in the coming days. “The world has to get up now, we have to get up now and show that we don’t want war, we stand in solidarity with Ukraine,” says Rieth. It is particularly important to her to include the Russians who live in the district and who are also often suffering from the situation. It should be a joint peace demonstration. Claudio Cumani, chairman of the Garching integration advisory board, underscores this: “This war is already so painful for everyone, we have to strengthen cohesion. Dialogue is the most important thing.” Anyone wishing to donate in kind in Garching can do so on Thursday, March 3 and Friday, March 4, between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Nova Mietraum GmbH, Rathausplatz 8.
In Aschheim, the associations “85609 helps” and “Hand in Hand” have joined forces and are collecting donations. Marion Seitz experiences a great willingness to help among her fellow human beings. Seitz, who is also the third mayor of the municipality, and her fellow campaigners only founded the “Hand in Hand” association a few months ago, it is still in its infancy. But the war in Ukraine called for spontaneous action, so the helpers organize the collection of urgently needed goods such as bandages, hygiene items, diapers, baby food and non-perishable food. Donations can be made on Wednesday, March 2, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. during market hours and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the market square in Aschheim. The association “85609 helps” then takes the goods to the Ukrainian border with a van.
Ilona Seufert will take part in the solidarity concert with her young choir from Taufkirchen.
(Photo: Niels P. Jørgensen)
There will be a solidarity concert in Taufkirchen on Sunday, March 13, in the Taufkirchner Culture and Congress Center. Musicians from the Hachinger Tal and Grünwald will perform as well as artists from the Ukraine or the Baltic States. Claus Blank, former head of the music school in Taufkirchen, who now lives in Poland, had the idea for the concert.