Lending a helping hand<BR>

"People are bringing towels, bed sheets, clothes, rice, pasta and toys for children," said Iwona Grochowska, who works in the newspaper's promotions department.
Throngs of volunteers also flowed non-stop to Wyborcza's offices to help sort and pack the donated goods before they were delivered to a temporary storage space in the Wola district. The goods will eventually be shipped to Albania and Macedonia.
Interest in the drive started slowly, Grochowska said, but by the second day the effort had gained momentum and goods began to roll in. In addition to bringing clothing and other items, supporters also contributed nearly zl. 8,000 in cash.
Justyna, a student from Witkacy High School in Warsaw, showed up at Gazeta Wyborcza with her friends Maryla and Tomek after hearing about the drive on Radio Zet.
"It's very good that such an action is being organized in Warsaw. I brought a sleeping-bag, towels and some money," Justyna said as she dropped some cash into the collection can.
PAH, an aid organization that collects and distributes goods for needy individuals throughout Europe and Asia, had already began collecting items for Kosovo's refugees before NATO started bombing Yugoslavia two weeks ago. The group had raised more than zl. 100,000 by last Thursday. Most of the money will be used to buy sleeping bags and blankets, organizers said.
"A shipment was ready even before the bombing," said PAH spokeswoman Zofia Winawer. "We always try to have a lot of (the most) necessary goods in our warehouses."
PAH had postponed sending the goods because of rising political tensions in the region, Winawer said. The first shipment will leave for Albania this week and a second one will be sent to Macedonia shortly thereafter. The first shipment will consist of four to five 20-ton trucks packed with flour, rice, oil, toiletries, nutritional supplements for children, canned meat products, blankets and sleeping bags.
In addition to PAH, other charities such as the Polish Red Cross (PCK) and Caritas have also organized drives for refugees.
"Maybe we will rent trucks and send a convoy by the end of this week," said Katarzyna Zylinska, a PCK employee. "If PCK doesn't rent a truck, the goods will be flown" to the region via NATO-protected air space.
The Polish government also has already sent two air shipments of goods to the region. The first load, which was sent before Easter, consisted primarily of food. The second one, which went last Friday, contained 16 tons of various items including toiletries, seven tons of food, 4,000 blankets and almost 17,000 cans of meat.
By last week the government had agreed to donate zl. 2 million ($512,000) in cash to the citizens of Kosovo. "The Polish government is going to give aid as long as it's necessary," said Krzysztof Luft, a government spokesman. In addition to money, Poland has also said it would take in Kosovar refugees.
"It's the Polish government's will and intention to invite about 1,000-2,000 refugees," he said.
However, where the refugees will live is still unclear. "When and where the Kosovars will be settled is still under consideration," he said.