Toruń. They are collecting election banners that will be used to make bags and backpacks for the homeless

Volunteers from “Serca Toruń” came up with an interesting idea. They plan to sew bags and backpacks from election banners for people in crisis of homelessness.

– We started collecting election banners which, let’s be honest, litter public space. We contacted several candidates from various political options and asked them to provide them to us. We want to use them to sew backpacks and bags for people in crisis of homelessness – confirms Michał Piszczek.

The response is very great. Quite a lot of them have already arrived at the “Sercownia”, the place where banners are stored. Michał Piszczek says that at the moment there should be enough material to sew about 100-200 bags and backpacks.

– The material is waterproof and if it is sewn well, these people will have bags and backpacks for a long time. This will allow them to carry their entire life’s work – admits Piszczek.

– My friend, who sews such things for a living, suggested that she would try to find a company that would finance it. She will also help us make patterns and sew them. If there is any material left, or even just bags, we will be happy to share it with other organizations in Poland – adds Michał Piszczek.

However, the plans of “Serca Toruń” go much further, because before Christmas there are plans to publish a special newspaper devoted to the problem of homelessness in Poland. However, it will be a newspaper unlike any other.

– We want it to be a newspaper that they can sell and thus earn money. Such a newspaper exists in several cities in Poland and abroad. We also want to show society that these are not just people who drink alcohol and find themselves at the bottom of society. Above all, these are people who need help, and if we don’t do it, they won’t get up on their own – admits Michał Piszczek.

Since August, “Serce Torunia” has had its own place – “Sercownia”. This is where people in crisis of homelessness can come, eat, talk, bathe, change clothes or seek medical help. This takes place during specially dedicated shifts.

– On average, there are 60 to 80 people on such shifts. At the beginning, they took place every day, but since we are all volunteers, it took us a lot of time. We do it on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. The shift lasts about 2.5 hours. There are our doctors, medics, therapists and ladies from the employment office. We try to provide comprehensive assistance. We also have a friendly law firm that helps us. We operate three times a week, but “Heart of Toruń” takes us all our lives, because there are so many problems – emphasizes the popular “Misza”.

Many of these people are women. – We created Women’s Day especially for them, every Thursday of the month, where a psychologist conducts classes. This is a day dedicated to them so that they can open up and talk about their problems – explains Piszczek.

When asked how effective their support is, he replies: – You’d have to ask our people, but we have three people who are recovering from alcoholism. They have been detoxified in Świecie and are undergoing anti-alcohol therapy. We are thinking about helping them solve this problem. Perhaps we will be able to arrange a job and what we dream about, i.e. a training apartment. When they are ready to go out into society, they leave it and more people come to replace them – notes Michał Piszczek.

– Getting out of homelessness is a process. It’s not enough to stop drinking and go to work, as some people think. These people need to be guided. They are the same people who differ only in their smell – concludes “Misza”.