We have had a successful year, both in Horley and in south Wales and we want to thank all those who have brought us items that we can forward to Romania. We also want to thank all those who have supported our work with their time and finances. 2025 was another year during which we were able to help many needy people with food and clothing
In Horley the packing team will be resuming on Friday 16th January and then on the first and third Fridays of each month thereafter.
At the beginning of 2026 Romania instituted an EU directive that requires that all packages valued at less than €150 will incur a charge of €5 per package when being brought into the EU. The UK and EU have a partial trade agreement but we have yet to see whether there are any implications for the transport of our donated goods. We are working within an increasingly complex legislative environment where forward planning is difficult, especially when it is often sidelined by more immediate needs.
The joint Romanian and Ukrainian community at Casa Neemia has matured, with many of the residents being involved in the day-to-day running of the house, working in the garden or helping with the diverse activities of the charity.
In December we were invited to run food appeals at two supermarkets in Dorohoi and one supermarket in Darabani. These appeals are in addition to the daily collections of short-dated food items. The customers of the supermarkets are asked to donate one or two items that they have purchased. The total value of these donations amounted to some £12,500; a team of volunteers then prepared and distributed food parcels for families in the villages near Dorohoi.
Our daily collections of short-dated food from local supermarkets have continued. During 2025 we received short-dated food with a nominal sales value totalling some £63,800 which we have donated to needy households. Recently, the collections included a large quantity of fruit and sweets, both of which are very popular with the door-to-door carol singers who visit on both Christmas Eve and on New Year’s Eve.
A donation of hi-vis jackets arrived in time to be distributed before the onset of the winter weather. They are very much appreciated, as much for their warmth as for any road safety considerations.
Negotiations about the reuse of the land surrounding our warehouse at Dealu Mare have continued. During the Communism era in Romania much of the non-residential land was state property but after the revolution in 1989 people who had previously had an interest in the land could apply to return it to private ownership. However, the administrative procedure requires the cross checking of land transactions back to 1989 and can be slow.
This Month’s Featured Photos
Winter Donations: Food distribution … Carol singers … Warm jackets
The Casa Neemia Community
Last Month’s Statistics
Awaiting preparation
This Month’s Prayer Notes
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Link to this month’s Prayer Notes
