How to help - a proposal for discussion

[erol]

Erol, So how can I donate funds and to whom please? I only have a UK bank account but can transfer funds to other a/c's in UK easily.

Have sent you a PM

[Patara29]

Please p.m the details to me as I only have a UK bank a/c but would like to make a donation.

[erol]

Please p.m the details to me as I only have a UK bank a/c but would like to make a donation.

sent

[waddo]

Erol, Looks like this idea is working and just as a suggestion, would it not be better for you to produce a new thread with the information you have provided at Msg 42 above whilst giving a link to this thread and at the same time? There is no such thing as bad publicity but threads tend to work towards the bottom very quickly and fade from view on this board?

[erol]

Erol, Looks like this idea is working and just as a suggestion, would it not be better for you to produce a new thread with the information you have provided at Msg 42 above whilst giving a link to this thread and at the same time? There is no such thing as bad publicity but threads tend to work towards the bottom very quickly and fade from view on this board?

Hi waddo and again thanks for your help and suggestions. For now I have edited the first post in this thread to include at the top a quick 'in' and 'out' summary and links to the spreadsheets and will try and keep this up to date.

If anyone knows of either individuals struggling to pay for food who have sought help from government schemes and not been helped please get in touch or put the person in touch. If anyone knows of groups elsewhere seeking to help such people and are themselves struggling to fund such efforts please put them in touch with me.

Thanks

[erol]

An update from Salih at Atakara re what has been done with the money forwarded to him.

Basic boxes

and (semi anonymised) lists of those given help boxes

[Wines Of The World]

3 girl's reaching out for help


https://www.facebook.com/groups/1710061 ... 460895389/

[erol]

Yeah have fb messaged the person who made the post. Am awaiting reply.

[Mimi2]

This posted on Ozankoy Food Bank page. Can you help?

Dear friends there are 40 Pakistani families in Lapta who is starving. You can buy food bags at the supermarkets and give it to Lapta Belediye for distribution to those families. +905488291809

[erol]

I have rung that number. That is the number for Lapta Bele effort. I will go to lapta Bele latter today and see how they can be helped. I am reluctant right now to just dump money in to this effort via bestmar, in addition to that already given to this effort by me and by others through me, without having a better idea of how it is working, who is getting what support and the like. Hence I will visit them later today and try and get a better idea. The original idea of this fund was for people who are falling to get support from schemes like the lapta but if it becomes clear that the lapta effort is being limited simply because of funds then I will review this. Hope to update later.

[Ozankoy Best Butcher]

Hi Erol, I`m in touch with the lady who posted on our village page, she operates rather like us, in conjunction with the authorities and belediye but with a personal hand. I`ll PM you the info and direct contact details for her organisation

[erol]

Update

I went to Lapta Bele (had to pay for water anyway) and did my best to make contact there and get more details of the Lapta scheme. Limited success. Went to Bestmar and made a 1200TL donation (20 help boxes) to their effort and sought more information from them. By chance the Lapta Mayor (Mustafa Aktug) was also there and I had a chance to talk with him as best I could.

I think I now have a contact that I can use to pass names to of any people in the Lapta, Karsiyaka and Kayalar areas that are in need of help that will then be added to the Lapta Bele efforts list of people they are helping. So if anyone knows of people in these areas in genuine need of help just in order to be able to eat who are not having any luck seeking help from Lapta Bele direct, then if they can provide me with their details (name and address) I should be able to get them on the Lapta bele list for help.

I tried with limited success to get more information as to what help has been provided by Lapta Bele to date. The mayor told me that to date approx 1500 food packages have been delivered by the Bele under their scheme.

I was not able to establish if the Bele is currently unable to help anyone with food merely for lack of funds. He was clear that funds were still needed and on that basis and the basis that I could give names of people needing help in their area I disbursed 1200TL to them via Bestmar for their effort. I will continue to try and get more ongoing information as to the 'out' side of this effort by Lapta Bele because I believe the more such information is made available the easier it is to get more donations in.

[erol]

Update

Disbursed 1545TL to help this woman's efforts https://www.facebook.com/diana.suyunshalina in the form of paying Starling in Lapta for the provision of 30 'aid packets'. Starling did give a discount on the normal retail price of these. If that was for 'bulk' or 'charity' or some combination of both am not entirely sure but a discount was given.

This person has been doing incredible work to get food aid to those people who need it. She is working in co operation with the Lapta Bele and is very focused on finding and helping those who may be falling through the cracks of existing schemes. She is a phenomenon. Here are just a few pics of the aid she has already sourced and distributed to date.

I will post updates and piccies where I can of the specific aid packages we bought today using the money so generously donated and give updates on it's distribution in due course.

[erol]

1000TL disbursed to Salih at Atakara in Alsanjack. Updates on use to follow.

[waddo]

Well done Erol, carry on the good work mate!

[erol]

I will post updates and piccies where I can of the specific aid packages we bought today using the money so generously donated and give updates on it's distribution in due course.

So I went today with Diana as she distributed the 30 'food packets' from starling paid for with money raised here. Right know I am still reeling and overwhelmed by the experience. I went to collect 'pictures' and 'stories' that could be used here to show where money given is ending up. I will try and do so in due course but right now I am struggling to produce a comprehensible narrative and I need some time for my head to settle down.

An overwhelming and humbling experience.

[erol]

This is what I paid for using some of the donated money from this thread.

We paid for 30 such packages like this at around 10am in the morning. Starling gave a 5% discount from the 'shelf price'. We returned at around 12.45 and the packages were bundled up into individual bags and placed in our cars.

Half of the packages loaded in to Diana's car

So loaded up with 30 aid packages off we trundle. First port of call to pick up one of Diana's helpers and then to two families from the Russian community that live 'next' to Diana's helper. Diana has a Russian passport but comes from kazakhstan. These are families that were know to Diana before this current crisis and even then were om the borderline of surviving. Since the crisis started and without even the minimal income they used to have for the last 2 months their situation is perilous.

Diana and helper 'gowned up' and ready to start delivering packages.

[erol]

The children of the first family helped.

The second family

Next off to meet up with a member of the local Pakistani community that would take us to members of that community in need.

[erol]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3gF3Yw ... e=emb_logo

Next on to a group of 7 families living essentially together in cramped conditions, what would be described as a 'single household' all be it a large extended one. One of the building of this extended household.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekuq7Fxi70o

[erol]

On to another family from the Pakistani community




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNLJAL6jePI

On so it went on. Next to a group from the Philippine community in our local area. Again multiple families living together as a single household. Again without income for two months now, this time as former workers for the Cratos casino / hotel. Again with hope that there may be some relief from government schemes at some point down the road, if they qualify, if cratos first pays any outstanding debts owed and a hundred others 'ifs' and with no contact from cratos since they were laid off. Again they had managed to access some help from the bele but too little and too late.

[erol]

Some thought in light of yesterday.

There is much that is problematic with the approach used yesterday by Diana and funded from the funds raised here. There are issues about SD. There are issues about what is in the aid packages. There are issues in terms of the sourcing of these packages in terms of getting maximum bang for buck. There are issues in terms of record keeping as to who has received what. These are all things that need addressing and improving. I am reminded of the analogy that ETS often uses here and in conversations we have had in the past. That of a burning building, where 'guardian reading' people set up a committee to discuss how best to rescue people, even as the fire rages instead of just rushing in to try and get people out of the burning building. Diana is the antithesis of this. She has been rushing in to pull people out of the raging fire , before people like me have even got the words 'wow - that building is on fir....' out of our mouths. She is a phenomenon. Within 24 hours of making contact with me and with the help of me just providing some funds she had sourced and delivered vital aid to people in real need. She initially wanted to buy 100 packets not 30 and I have not one shred of doubt that had we bought 100 within hours of doing so each and every one of these would have been delivered to people in the most dire of situations and need. 200. 500.

The efforts by the Lapta mayor are important and are helping many people. They need to be supported. However the mayor has to work withing constraints that do limit the speed and reach of such efforts and that leaves significant numbers of people exposed for significant periods of time. This is not his fault nor it is any criticism of his efforts. It is just an acceptance of reality.

This whole thing is evolving even as the fire continues to burn. Going back to some of the earlier 'stages' as it has evolved

By demand and supply I simply mean at first it needs to be established if there is a demand.

Agreed

The 'demand' is there. The ability to quickly turn money raised into actual real world help to people who really need such is there. The limit now is 'money'. To date I have not focused on raising more money in any sort of comprehensive way. it is time for that to change and in due course once I have put a few more things in place I will be calling for help with that. For donations and for 'spreading the call for donations'.

In terms of moving forward I hope to have a meeting with Diana and the Lapta mayor in the next few days to look at the possibility of setting up some kind of 'food bank' that people in need can visit but that can also be used as a central depot from which deliveries of aid can made from. The lack of 'fresh food' in the aid boxes currently concerns me, in terms of health but also in terms of getting the most 'bang for buck' as well. A sack of potatoes and onions bought centrally in bulk that is then used to provide aid seems like a good way forward compared to the 'aid boxes' currently being delivered. Buying oil by the drum and refilling and reusing smaller bottles seems a better way forward than repeatedly buying individual 1ltr bottles.

In summary I think it is close to time to move to, in the words of BoB Geldof, a 'just give us your money' phase.

[JoandJelly]

Hi Erol please pm your bank or Revolut details so I can contribute. Thanks for everything you are doing.

[erol]

Hi Erol please pm your bank or Revolut details so I can contribute. Thanks for everything you are doing.

done and thanks

[erol]

Shameless bump - the fund has just broken 10,000TL on the 'in side'. Thanks to everyone who has contributed. Details of current totals and link to the public lists of ins and outs are at the top of this thread here viewtopic.php?p=250576#p250576

[danesrood]

Hi Erol likewise please pm your bank so I can contribute. Thanks for everything you are doing

[erol]

Hi Erol likewise please pm your bank so I can contribute. Thanks for everything you are doing

sent

[slsgjc]

Hi Errol,just wanted to say what you are doing is amazing x
Just an idea for you .....in the Saturday paper was an article about the farmers having to let some of their crops rot as they are not selling to the hotels etc at the moment.... maybe the bele could arrange to pick up some of these crops at cost for distribution to all the families in need.....win win for everyone, I would imagine most of the goods being handed out at the moment are mostly tins and dried so would be good to get fresh fruit and veg to them as well...

[erol]

Thanks slsgjc. If I can help make this happen to any degree at all I will, nice idea.

[slsgjc]

Or taking it closer to home...anyone that has extra veg,fruit etc growing in their garden.....my neighbour has a few chickens I could lure away lol every little bit helps

[erol]

So i think the time has come to move from a single thread to a 'forum' section with these efforts. Soner has kindly set up such a section for me. I have chosen the 'name' COSH - Communities Organised to Stop Hunger, with a 'tag line' of 'knocking hunger on the head'. Corny I know but good enough for now.

I hope to post an update on progress in the new COSH section before to long. I will title any threads in that section with 'COSH' at the start so for those using 'recent posts' views of the forum who are not interested can separate them from other threads easily.

If a mod/admin could close this thread when they have time ti will be appreciated.

[Mollie the cat]

or DOSH, donations organised to stop hunger. Great effort by the way, well done.

[EnjoyingTheSun]

I have chosen the 'name' COSH - Communities Organised to Stop Hunger, with a 'tag line' of 'knocking hunger on the head'. Corny I know but good enough for now.

Personally I think we could have far more fun with this. Any organisation stands or falls on its acronym not what it actually does!
Food Aid Remittance Trust?

[erol]

Please no more. They are better but this is a thing that really you do not want to do by committee. or it will be 2021 before a decision is made. Need to keep moving. COSH it is for now. Changing right now would be too much time wasted.

Thanks but enough please

Let's get this thread closed lol.