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A restaurateur from Utah has taken time off, so he can deliver handmade cards to Ukrainian children who have fled the war.
Dirk Astle, a Salt Lake City franchise owner of The Melting Pot – a fondue restaurant chain, felt moved to help with humanitarian relief efforts after he saw members of his church journey to the Poland-Ukraine border and all the good work they’re doing to provide aid to refugees.
"I thought I could do this, [too]," Astle wrote to Fox News Digital in an email. "I have frequent flyer miles. I have time in my schedule right now. I should go help."
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Utah restaurateur Dirk Astle (first on the left) took time off from his work to hand-deliver letters and essential relief goods to refugees at the Poland-Ukraine border. (Photo courtesy Dirk Astle)
He continued, "I could not shake it from my mind. I told a few people and one good friend gave me the advice to always follow the impressions you cannot shake."
A week later, Astle booked a flight to Poland and reached out to his friend Jonathan Freedman, who is the honorary consul for Utah's Honorary Consulate of Ukraine.
Astle said he offered to transport items for Freedman during his week-long trip, and that’s when he learned that Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox launched a letter drive to share words of encouragement with Ukrainian children who have left their lives behind.
"The drawing room table at the governor’s mansion was completely flooded with letters," Astle told Fox News Digital. "I consolidated my gear into a carry-on and checked in two 50-pound bags of letters as my travel luggage. This all happened the day before I left."
In the bags were colorful cards and drawings that appear to be handcrafted by artistic children. Some were decorated with illustrations of the Ukrainian flag to signify solidarity with the country.
Astle flew to Vienna and then Kraków, a southern Polish city that’s near the border of the Czech Republic. He arrived in the country on Thursday, March 24.
Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox launched a letter drive to share words of encouragement with Ukrainian children who have left their lives behind, and residents from the Beehive State delivered with at least 100 pounds of handmade cards. (Photo courtesy Dirk Astle)
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One of the bags Astle checked for his flight reportedly got misplaced in Paris, but it was luckily recovered and reunited with him three days later.
"It was actually a blessing because I didn’t have to haul both of them through the airport or through customs," Astle said.
Dirk Astle agreed to deliver the cards Utah residents made for Ukranian children during his trip to the Poland-Ukraine border. (Photo courtesy Dirk Astle)
With both bags finally in his custody, Astle then traveled about 167 miles east of his hotel to deliver the letters and other essential relief goods to refugees at the Poland-Ukraine border.
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At the border, Astle connected with United Sikhs – a global humanitarian charity that’s affiliated with the United Nations Department of Public Information.
Dirk Astle deliver the cards to a refugee camp managed by United Sikhs – a global humanitarian charity. (Photo courtesy Dirk Astle)
"The group United Sikhs runs a tent immediately across the border into Poland," Astle wrote. "They are the group authorized to care for children as they come across. So, there is a large section with cots and playthings and warm food. When I told their leader about the first lady’s initiative and the letters I brought [they were] ecstatic."
Astle hand-delivered several letters to families who are sheltering at the camp.
"The children either clutched them in their hands the whole time or they very carefully stored the picture in their plastic envelope where their crucial travel documents are kept," Astle recalled. "It’s amazing."
Dirk Astle told Fox News Digital that the children at United Sikhs refugee camp near the Poland-Ukraine border ‘clutched’ the letters ‘in their hands’ or ‘carefully stored’ them. (Photo courtesy Dirk Astle)
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United Sikhs plans to set up a reception table where children at the camp can "pick up a letter from a friend," Astle told Fox News Digital.
Refugee camps at the Poland-Ukraine border are more than a 100 miles away from Kraków, the southern Polish city where Dirk Astle first touched down on Thursday, March 24, 2022. (Photo courtesy Dirk Astle)
Astle said he joined the church colleagues who inspired his humanitarian trip – Allee and Lance Foster – and he’s helping them with an on-the-ground shuttle service for refugees.
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"Lance runs the coordination efforts for the drivers here," Astle wrote. "The Foster kids are amazing. They’re fully committed to helping the Ukrainians."
Astle is going a step further and has donated to the Fosters' "REACH: Ukraine" GoFundMe campaign, which is aiming to cover the cost of suitcases, transportation, shelter and showers, so refugees can have an easier time transitioning to their new lives outside Ukraine.
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