more than a lorry load – a story of love, legacy, and lifelines

Here at The Together Plan, our Aid Together project is the very heartbeat of our practical support. It’s a simple yet powerful concept: in the UK, we collect unwanted items, saving them from landfill, and we send them to communities, families and individuals in need where they receive a  new home and offer vital support in Belarus. This incredible work is entirely powered by our dedicated team of volunteers, who collect, sort, and pack every single donation with immense care and love.

Through their efforts, we channel resources to those who need them most. We send Judaica to rekindle Jewish community life, and clothes, shoes, and household essentials to families, both Jewish and non-Jewish, living below the poverty line. This project is a critical lifeline for Holocaust survivors, people with disabilities, and countless others in need of a helping hand.

This July marked an exciting new chapter as we moved into a wonderful new storage location. From this new hub of generosity, our volunteers worked tirelessly to load a 40-foot lorry, packed floor to ceiling with sorted donations, ready for its journey.

However, the complexity and cost of sending humanitarian aid to Belarus cannot be understated. Challenges have grown since Covid, and the war in Ukraine has caused costs to remain prohibitively high. Despite this, we persevere because the need is so great. We fundraise through our eBay shop, seek grants, and rely on the kindness of donors to keep this lifeline open.

We are therefore incredibly grateful to have received a generous donation from the Ark of Noah Trust which covered the cost of sending this latest lorry. This support is deeply meaningful to us, and its story is a profoundly personal one—a story of three remarkable individuals.

Irène Noah, the founder of the Ark of Noah Trust, was born in 1929. A healer, a singer, fluent in six languages, and an inspiration to many, her own life shaped her mission. She endured malnutrition during the Nazi era, which weakened her immune system and led to a later life confined by Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). From her suffering grew a profound wish to help others, and she became a pioneer in the field of clinical ecology in Britain. She established the Trust in 1998 to continue her work.

After Irène’s passing, the esteemed Aubrey Rose CBE was asked to continue her legacy. A distinguished philanthropist, retired lawyer, and author, Aubrey Rose’s advocacy spans human rights, disability, health, and interfaith work.  As a guardian of the Ark of Noah Trust, he ensures its funds continue to support Jewish and humanitarian causes, aligning perfectly with our mission at The Together Plan.

This connection leads us to the third figure in this story: Vera Chesno. Aubrey Rose edited a book about Vera’s extraordinary life. Born in 1891 into a wealthy Latvian Jewish family, Vera was a child prodigy, musician, artist, and healer whose world was shattered by the Russian Revolution and the Nazis. Her 94-year life was an epic journey of survival through 14 countries and 92 towns. Notably, between 1891 and 1919, she found refuge in the city of Vitebsk, in northern Belarus—a poignant link to the very land our aid lorry was destined for.

This July’s aid lorry was, therefore, more than just a shipment of goods. It was a powerful circle of compassion:

It was sent with funding from the Ark of Noah Trust, in memory of its founder, Irène Noah. It was made possible by the generosity of Aubrey Rose CBE and the trustees of the Trust, who diligently continue Irène’s work. And it was sent in honour of Vera Chesno, whose life story is forever intertwined with Belarus.

This is the true spirit of Aid Together – a project where every sorted item carries a story, and every lorry load is a testament to the power of community, memory, and shared humanity. Thank you to everyone who makes it possible.

Want to help us send the next one? Get in touch to volunteer, donate items, or support our fundraising efforts [email protected]

To see The Together Plan’s depot in the UK and the lorry being loaded click here

To see the aid being unloaded in Minsk, Belarus – click here

.