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Shellie
PO Top Contributor & Patron

Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Replies: 1000
Location: Atlanta, GA
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 12:02 am Post subject: When grandma sent packages to Poland

Some of us remember our grandparents sending packages to relatives in Poland.

Do you remember family members packing up clothes, food and money for their Polish families overseas?

What clever methods did your family use to hide the cash they sent in their care packages?

Edziu340 recalls how grandma hid money in the coffee can.

Edziu340 wrote:

… I Remember after WWII as a boy helping to package staples to send to family in Poland with my Grandma, Sugar, coffee, and she always put a few dollars wrapped in wax paper stuffed in side the coffee container. After I grew up and the older generation had passed, I wondered where and to whom we had sent those packages….

Read the entire post about Edziu’s search for Zawora family in Krzywa and Siuta family in Niebylec here: http://forum.polishorigins.com/viewtopic.php?t=1384

Louie

Joined: 31 Aug 2008
Replies: 69

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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 8:54 pm Post subject:

Shellie,
I remember: I posted this :http://polishorigins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1712 !

Georgia

Joined: 22 Mar 2012
Replies: 12
Location: Chicago, Illinois
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 9:15 am Post subject:

Hi,

Preparing a package to send to Poland was a huge event at Babcia's house. I believe she sent packages to her sister in Rogoznik. We always sent two packages. They contained clothing, foodstuffs and medicine. My mom would take us to Babcia's house and we watched the process of assembling the packages. A good sturdy box was found and proposed contents were spread out; clothing was folded on the furniture and food and medicine on the kitchen table. The boxes were on the floor. Of course money was hidden inside sugar, cocoa and other food products. Babcia sent aspirin, Pepto Bismol, Ben Gay and maybe some other kind of liniment. I don't remember the waxed paper element, but the cash was folded in a clever manner and concealed completely. When I asked why they were sending the money, I remember being told that the family in Poland had to pay to retrieve the package. There was something about "black market money." After the clothing, food and medicine was packed to everyone's satisfaction, the box was securely taped shut. Then out came the muslin. The uncles would wrestle the boxes onto a square of muslin and my mother would sew the muslin tightly together so that the boxes would arrive safely and undisturbed. Then she would neatly print Babcia's sister's name and address in laundry marker. The uncles were called again to put the boxes in my cousin's Radio Flyer wagon and off we'd go to the Post Office. My job was walking alongside the wagon with my hand on the box. My mother assured me it was a very important job. The packages were sent and Babcia waited for a letter indicating they had been safely received.

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