The Lohr couple Michelle and Kurt Assel, who have been involved in humanitarian aid in the past through the registered association of the Rurich relief organization OST (organization, collection, transport), took part in a pick-up campaign for Ukrainian war refugees to Würzburg last week.
“When I saw the news about the beginning of the war, I spontaneously called some former team members from the relief organization,” says Michelle Assel, describing the first steps. Immediately afterwards, a team took a bus to the Polish-Ukrainian border in Przemysl and was able to take refugees to the initial reception facility that was privately organized at the same time by the Würzburg company S. Oliver.
Thomas Lurz involved
“The campaign was only possible in cooperation with contacts from the OST network,” adds Kurt Assel. So Michelle Assel called her aid worker Joachim Goll, a businessman from Reichenberg. He in turn got in touch with the company founder of S. Oliver, Bernd Freier, to set up a refugee camp on the company premises in Rottendorf.
Thomas Lurz, Head of Human Resources at S. Oliver, reports to our editorial team over the phone that the clothing company’s two office buildings can currently accommodate around 175 people. Around 110 refugees are currently staying there. According to Lurz, the admission was carried out in close coordination with the Würzburg district office and the Bavarian Red Cross. Fire brigades are also on site to provide support. “It was actually the case that we were able to respond spontaneously to Bernd Freier’s initiative to take in the first refugees,” says the former world swimming champion from Würzburg. The partly empty rooms were equipped with camp beds and bunk beds. Kitchens and wet rooms already existed and were supplemented. In order to have more space for refugees, around 50 office employees moved to another company building at short notice.
The accommodation is financed by private donations and by the clothing manufacturer, Lurz says. “First of all, many are happy to have a safe roof over their heads. We just want to help unbureaucratically,” says Lurz.
Bus came from Hock in Steinfeld
Another refugee transfer, which led from Budapest to Würzburg, was personally accompanied by Michelle and Kurt Assel. Through the contact of Joachim Goll from the OST-Hilfswerk, the Hungarian diplomat Tamas Marghescu made his German-speaking secretary Kristof Hecken available to interpret for this transfer. Kurt Assel reports that the bus provided by the Steinfeld bus company Hock was filled with refugees within half a day. “We stood at the station with a large, multilingual poster and referred to our journey to Würzburg,” reports the Lohrer. After initial skepticism, the refugees – mostly women and children – confided in the helpers.
The fourth bus had already arrived at S. Oliver’s private refugee accommodation on Wednesday. Thomas Lurz explains that further trips should be carried out according to free capacity. “We give people time to find peace first; some are picked up by relatives after registration or are placed with private households,” says the HR manager. In any case, the facility should remain in place for the coming months, according to Lurz.
The Assel couple from Lohr would also like to get involved and accompany a trip again.
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