Åland Post donates delivery van to Ukraine

Åland Post is donating a delivery van to support relief work in Ukraine. The donation is being coordinated by the Ukraine Group within the Mariehamn Rotary Club and will help transport vital supplies to war-affected areas.

Åland Post has decided to donate a diesel-powered delivery van, a Ford Transit, to Ukraine. The vehicle was purchased in 2015 and has been used within the Postal Services division for transporting mail between the Sviby postal terminal and the Mariehamn post office. The delivery van will now take on a new mission in Ukraine. The vehicle will be handed over with a full tank and in its current condition, bearing the Åland Post logo.

– It feels very good to be able to donate the van to Ukraine, where it can be put to real use, now that we no longer need it. Åland Post and the Åland community have long stood in support of Ukraine, says Jack Karlsson, Head of Delivery and Vehicle Manager within Postal Services.

For the Ukraine Group’s upcoming relief shipment, the donation means that a load of 1.5 tons of fire-extinguishing foam can be transported in a single vehicle.

– We are very grateful for the donation from Åland Post. It means a lot and will be put to good use in Ukraine. Thanks to this van, we can now transport 1.5 tons of fire-extinguishing foam in one vehicle and use the other cars being donated to Ukraine for other necessary supplies, says Monica von Frenckell, Chair of the Ukraine Group at the Mariehamn Rotary Club.

Vehicle donations are particularly important because vehicles are in short supply in Ukraine, where they are often damaged or destroyed in war-affected areas. Diesel-powered vehicles are especially sought after, as diesel burns differently than gasoline, reducing risk in hazardous areas.

At the end of March, the Ukraine Group’s relief convoy will depart. A total of seven vehicles will travel from Åland to Ukraine.