In the very first week of the war, in February 2022, on the initiative of the Christian Fellowship South, we opened a support center for victims of the war in Ukraine. It was located in a complex of utility buildings next to the chapel at Mińska 65 in Warsaw. The property owner generously provided us with storage spaces free of charge.

 The site quickly became a logistics base for humanitarian aid deliveries for many Warsaw churches. Soon, individual refugees also began arriving to seek help, and the space was rearranged to allow for direct distribution. A so-called “free shop” was created, where refugees could receive clothing, food, and basic hygiene products. The Centre began regular every day service.

In May 2022, the tenant made additional, larger rooms available to us. Around the same time, we gained access and started daily distribution of the ready-made lunch boxes in cooperation with a nearby university cafeteria. Depending on needs and capacity, up to 250 hot meals were served each day. We also established good relationships with grocery stores, a fruit and vegetable market, and a bakery, which allowed us to regularly receive free, high-quality food with short expiration dates.

In the summer of 2022, we launched another important initiative: professional Polish language courses for refugees, run by the company “NieNudno.” These courses were extremely popular and continued until the summer of 2023.

While women were attending language classes, another need became clear – childcare. A children’s corner was therefore opened, where children could stay under professional supervision while their moms were taking classes.

From the autumn of 2022, the Centre also became a logistics hub for mission-based humanitarian convoys to Ukraine. It served as a logistical base for more than 100 humanitarian trips organized in cooperation with many churches. Supplies collected at the Centre were transported to Ukraine using three mission vehicles, as part of convoys organized by, among others, LIFE Church, The Office of the Church of Christ, SCh Puławska, SCh Zachód, SCh Sandomierz, KWCh Palowice, Olsztyn Humanitarian Convoys. Nehemiasz Initiative, SCh Garwolin, KChB Iława, Klauny z Misja, SCh KZ Pabianice, SCH KZ Wrocław. All aid delivered to Ukraine always reached those most in need directly, and the convoys themselves also carried a spiritual dimension.

In November 2022, in the Centre we also launched the initiative of the “Promienniki Nadziei” (“Rays of Hope)—Ukrainian “trench candles”. This project continued throughout the winter season of 2022, also including 2023/24.

In December 2024, the possibility of using the premises free of charge came to an end. We moved into three smaller storage rooms, which we adapted into spaces for the daily distribution of food and clothing.

In 2025, thanks to cooperation with other churches, secular charitable organizations (especially the Food Bank), and businesses, the scale of assistance provided by the Centre increased significantly. We now regularly receive high-quality food from large retail stores—usually products with very short expiration dates that must be distributed immediately. Every morning, our team collects this food from various locations in Warsaw and the surrounding area, averaging about one ton per day. Around midday, a group of volunteers sorts and prepares it for distribution.

From time to time, we also receive unexpected large donations—for example, several thousand frozen pizzas, several tons of citrus fruit, sweets, or nutritional products for children. All of this requires efficient logistics, but our dedicated group of Ukrainian volunteers knows how to organize quickly and distribute even very large quantities.

In 2025 alone, we distributed over 200 tons of food, reaching nearly 30,000 families. In addition to food, we also distribute other items, including used clothing, which is especially valued during the winter months—not only by refugees in Poland, but also by recipients in Ukraine. Occasionally, we also receive brand-new clothing from stores or manufacturers: hats, gloves, underwear, shoes, sportswear, and even several hundred suits, which proved especially useful in Ukraine for funerals.

An important role in the development of the Centre has been played by cooperation with UNHCR Poland (The UN Refugee Agency). Through this partnership, we received several large shipments of aid, including camp beds, mattresses, bedding, hygiene products, and personal kits. Thanks to UNHCR, we also established many valuable contacts—for example, in September and October of 2025, in cooperation with the well known company UNIQLO and with the help of their employees and volunteers, we distributed high-quality thermal clothing sets.

In addition to daily humanitarian assistance from Monday to Saturday, we also organize larger special gatherings. On the occasion of religious or national holidays—most recently Children’s Day, Ukraine’s Independence Day, and Defenders of Ukraine Day—we use the chapel of the Christian Fellowship “South” to host events for 150–250 people. During these gatherings, specially prepared aid packages are distributed alongside a thoughtfully prepared evangelistic program.

The program is organized together with our partner, HIS Church, and always includes time for a message, prayer, worship, or patriotic songs. At the end, there is time for individual conversations and personal prayer.

The daily work of the Centre—sorting food, preparing packages, and distributing aid—is carried out by dozens of Ukrainian volunteers. All of them are refugees and victims of the war. They first came to the Centre seeking help themselves. Over time, they became the ones offering help to others.

Most of them are unable to take on regular paid employment for health, family, or age-related reasons. It is deeply important that they are not left idle but instead can serve others and support Ukraine through their involvement. This transformation—from being a recipient of help to becoming a giver—is profoundly meaningful. They give not only their time and effort, but also their hearts. For them, this work has an emotional, spiritual, and even therapeutic dimension.

Dozens of such individuals have passed through the Centre. Many former volunteers have gone on to find stable employment and settle permanently in Poland. For them, the Centre was a first and very valuable step in finding their place within the Polish work environment.