The shrimp croquettes are going fast, so are the chicken corns. And fries, which are of course the most popular. Franky and Coen from Helmond traveled to the Polish border with their chip shop to support the refugees from Ukraine. The two work continuously, because the demand for fries is high. But they are also silent about what they see happening around them. “I don’t look around too much, because it looks intense, all that suffering.”
For sixteen hours Franky van Hintum from Helmond and his partner Coen van Oosten were on their way to the Polish border to do something for the victims of the war. They took two overcrowded vans and an accompanying snack stand, plus a huge amount of snacks and sweets. The fries are delivered in Poland, about a thousand kilos every day.
Valentina from Charkov is one of the many who places an order with Franky and Coen. She tells how the five of them fled. Among them is someone who is disabled, so further travel is difficult. “The situation was unbearable,” she says. “The bombs were falling continuously, we couldn’t even sleep.” So much help from so many sides, she hadn’t expected it. “I had heard that the Poles were not so hospitable to Ukrainian people, but the opposite is true. Everyone helps us well.”
A boy comes to get chips and a snack. He too had to flee his house in a hurry when three bombs suddenly fell near him. He is on his way to Germany, where he has an aunt.
A mother-of-daughter from Odessa are moved by the amount of help they receive. When asked if the fries are tasty, the thumbs go up and tears appear in the eyes.