Armed with a precious basket of groceries, a Quebecer has been going back and forth to the border between Ukraine and Poland 10 hours a day since last Monday to help exhausted refugees carry their luggage.
“You don’t always need to do extraordinary things to reach people, realizes Patric Crevier, 54. It gives them a balm. It’s not just the baggage, it’s the intention. I have come a long way to do this, they are surprised. »
Since last Monday, the man has found an extraordinary mission to help Ukrainian refugees: he helps them carry their luggage.
Every morning, he goes to Medyka, on the Poland-Ukraine border, and finds a precious basket of groceries.
“When you have a basket, you don’t let it go. Otherwise, in two seconds, someone will take it from you! “he assures.
One woman he helped, Svetlana, even called him a “hero,” which shook him up.
“Her husband died in Ukraine, and her son returned to fight, and I am his hero…”, confides the one who works in the pharmaceutical field.
Throughout the day, Mr. Crevier goes back and forth between the two countries. He walks 50 to 60 kilometers a day.
“These are long days, but it’s hard to stop. How can I get back to the hotel when people are waiting? “, he asks. “But at some point, I have no choice, my body tells me! […] We go up a hill towards the Ukraine. Tylenol and Advil are in order at night! »
“But it’s so rewarding,” admits the man with the yellow bib.
The resident of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, in Montérégie, had been looking for a way to help Ukrainians since the beginning of the war. Although he had no experience in humanitarian aid and no contacts on the spot, he flew on March 19.
“I might give money, but I found it far away. I’m resourceful, I thought I was going to find something to do,” he says.
“There are no bosses here. The initiative is required, he notes. There are people who play volunteers, but who do not do much. »
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A young boy took advantage of the grocery basket to rest his legs during the border crossing to Poland.
When Ukrainian refugees arrive at the Polish border (by car, bus or train), they still have to walk more than a kilometer with their children and luggage before reaching customs.
Mothers often have their arms full, and a basket of groceries is no exception. The wait to go through customs can exceed three hours.
Once in Poland, he accompanies the refugees on foot to Medyka, where they take a bus to another Polish town, 14 km away.
“I try to guide them,” he says, despite the language barrier.
In addition, Mr. Crevier also accompanies Ukrainians who want to return to their country, for all sorts of reasons.
“Poland is the unknown for them. They have no plan, no money. They realize that as long as they are in the unknown, they would rather go home. Others feel bad for having left. »
And although it crosses customs twice in each direction (for each country), the customs officers are tolerant.
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Patric Crevier has his passport stamped each time he travels between Poland and Ukraine.
“They are beginning to know me! says the one whose passport is ultra-stamped.
Mr. Crevier was taking his flight back to Canada today. Although he would have liked to stay longer, he retains only positive things. “When you discover the impact [causé par le fait] helping people is hard to beat,” he reveals.