Parcels of Hope

Parcels Of Hope volunteers in front of multiple pallets with filled packages

As war continues to rage in Ukraine, the KLU community has been doing its part to help make some of the thousands of refugees who have arrived in Hamburg, particularly children, feel welcome. The goal of the community’s Parcels of Hope initiative was simple, but ambitious: raise enough money for 1,000 parcels filled with small toys and treats for the children of refugees. They did that and more.

The call went out via the KLU website and social media: four KLU members - Prof. Moritz Petersen, Neele Mansfield (KLU EE), Maria Kern (Student Affairs) and Christian Bonnecke (Communications & Marketing) – had initiated a campaign to collect money from KLU staff, students, alumni and beyond for gifts for children forced to flee the war in Ukraine with their families.

A donation of twenty euros would pay for a “Parcel of Hope” containing small toys, arts and crafts materials, sweets and other items for refugee children arriving in Hamburg “to provide as much joy and positive distraction as possible,” explains Prof. Petersen.

The goal was to reach €20,000. Once achieved, cuddly toys, footballs, colouring pens, and other toys and supplies would be bought in bulk and packed by volunteers from the KLU community in 1,000 parcels. The parcels, which were custom printed and could be coloured in, would then be distributed through Hamburg social organisation Fördern+Wohnen directly to children in need and regardless of their nationality.

“Little did we know that we would even exceed this number,” says Prof. Petersen of the initiative. “With the support of the KLU community, and a very generous donation by a single, anonymous KLU alumnus, Maria, Neele, Christian and I collected around €21,600 and spent it on than 7,000 items to be packed in the parcels.”

After an initial batch of 150 parcels had been delivered, four improvised packing lines were set up at the KLU campus in Hamburg’s HafenCity and 1,000 parcels were packed with the help of about 25 volunteers in less than two hours.

“I’m very proud of what we pulled off,” remarks Prof. Petersen. “With the help of roughly 130 donors and the larger KLU community, including all the ‘workers’ in our packing line, we made this amazing number of 1,000 Parcels of Hope possible. I want to say a big thank you to everyone at KLU that supported this initiative in different ways.”