Kew Rotary has raised thousands to help refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after a fire destroyed their camp.

Generations donations of £2,400 have been given to the club's online Crowdfunder page from 61 supporters.

And alongside 20 fellow Rotary clubs, more than £10,000 has been raised for the cause.

In June, the Rotary Club of Kew Gardens raised an incredible £11,000 for a group of five foodbanks in Richmond borough via its Richmond Foodbank Crisis Appeal.

Supporting the plight of refugees in Lesbos, they teamed up with Home for All, a husband-and-wife-run charity kitchen that tries to feed as many migrants on the Greek island as possible.

Katerina and Nikos Katsounis told Richmond Nub News that they receive no government funding. "We rely on donations in order to feed these people and each donation, no matter how small is priceless."

"The destruction of Moria camp is devastating and with the added strain of coronavirus, we are really struggling to help these people."

Nikos added: "We've experienced a 40% cut in the donations we receive due to the pandemic, so we're very grateful to the Kew Rotary Club for this very generous fundraiser that will help us immensely.

"We understand what a difficult time it is for everyone economically and we appreciate that £10 for someone might make a big difference in their lives, so we appreciate it very much when they choose to give it to us instead, in order to help these people in need."

If you want to help Kew Rotary reach its goal, visit their fundraising page to donate.

Kew Rotary update in mid-October

We are over four weeks into our support. The appeal to Rotarians and the public started with Twickenham Rotary (already working with two NGOs on Lesbos) organising a hastily arranged Zoom meeting for local Rotarians with Katerina Katsouris of Home for All. By the next evening Kew Gardens Rotary had the Crowdfunder page live. The first £4,000 has been sent from Kew Gardens Rotary and the Rotary District charity funds. The Rotary District covers the area from Hounslow to Oxted down to Brighton across to Chichester and back up to Hounslow. They have enabled us to have a further £6,000 to send over the coming weeks with close on £4,000 immediately available. We have raised over £10,000 made up of £1,500 from public Crowdfunding, and an amazing £9,000 from 20 clubs in Rotary. Our clubs are so supportive. With some Gift Aid that takes us over £11,000. Many thanks to you all. Funds are still coming in from clubs and from Crowdfunding and the need will not go away. Giving from Crowdfunding is the key to support longer.

On Lesbos, Katerina and Nikos Katsouris continue to do a tremendous job for us. The seasons are changing and as the rains come the overcrowded camp is becoming a more miserable place. Many tent sites are under water after the first rains. Some tents don't have floor yet, some tents are full of water, and people try to take it out.

Could you ever think of yourself living in a camp? As Katerina said: "I do many times. Maybe you do also. But even if we think a lot, even if we try hard, to come into these peoples shoes, we cannot even imagine how this is.

And most of all how it feels.

Someone else decides where are you going to stay and with whom.

Someone else decides if you are cold or hot, and what your needs are.

Someone else.....someone else.....until you lose yourself into someone else's decisions. We don't want to be this someone else. We don't want to decide. What we do, is be there, next to the people, and when they decide what they need to be able to offer it. Our volunteers are every day there, tent by tent, talking to people, communicate, hear their needs, see the problems, and try to give solutions. Food, yes, is number one need, and we offer to people, real good warm cooked food, that they love and waiting for that. But this is not only about food for the stomach, is also about food for the heart, for the mind, a good word, even the smiling eyes behind the mask, makes people feel that someone cares, someone is here. What you can do, just do it."

As the refugees settle into their new camp the future role of Home for All has become clearer. Home for All were asked by the camp director's office to feed those with diabetes and the sick and the single mother families. They need better than the government food. So Home for All have found a dietician, who specialises in diabetes and other diseases.

From last Monday they started making and distributing these meals, tent by tent, to the first group of diabetic and sick people. Every day they add more people in the list. Katerina describes how this happens. 'Home for all as always, covers people's needs. Without seeing numbers but people. Each one has a different personality. Tent by tent and not in lines. We go to them, talk to them, ask what their needs are, and we make them feel like a friend visit them, and this friend, is going to be here for them, tomorrow also, and the day after....and after....

All meals are fresh warm cooked food coming from Homes for All kitchen. Our team write down the needs of every family, and the next day they visit them again in their tent offering them what they need. Food, diapers, baby milk, clothes, shoes.... as all the people don't have the same needs. After six years of experience, we decide this is the only way to give real help. Tent by tent, person by person. We do that many years now, and it is successful.'

The 5,000 meals is less than they were serving at the peak but highly focused on the particularly needy. The numbers are increasing. This week it will be 7,000 meals – 1,000 every day. They work on this 14 hours per day every day. Every meal includes a main course, rice or pasta or bread, salad, and something sweet, or fruit, depending on the need. Many are highly tailored meals because of the health needs of the refugee. They hand deliver to avoid food lines instead going tent to tent and hand by hand

Home for All has received the first 1,000 raincoats of the 4,000 planned by their supporters for the refugees. They have also rehoused five needy families (paying the rent) releasing five tent sites in the overcrowded camp. They also support those already granted asylum who immediately lose their place in the camp and their monthly refugee allowance. They are left destitute overnight. They provide work and income for them. They will continue to help more families and people.

They thank us all for our support – not just financially but psychologically, as it is so hard to face this situation every day, over six years, 24 hours a day. That is one reason we do not send all the funds at once but support them over time and hopefully with the help of our Crowdfunding supporters into much of the winter. They find so much pain and sadness around them which they try to address. As Katerina says 'We are always going to be here do our best, as long as people need us. Without your help we couldn't do that'. They are shown a lot of appreciation, especially by the young people and the mothers.

We thank Home for All for delivering true humanitarian service for us. Visit their Facebook page where you can find out more about their work finding jobs and starting an olive oil business to employ the refugees.

Our Crowdfunding supporters thank us for creating this opportunity for them to help directly. Quotes include:

'We are global citizens. Thank you for caring.'

'On a cold wet day in the UK, it makes you appreciate home and good food, and want to help make that happen for refugees stuck in Lesbos.'

'We must all help each other at this difficult time.'

'Thank you Kew Rotary for taking a lead on raising funds for people who need our help now , can only imagine the hardship they are experiencing every day'

'Supporting 'Home for All' and hoping they will be able to continue their work with the additional challenges they and refugees in Lesbos face.'