Stories Straight Out of Trash
We’re launching a special campaign called “Stories Straight Out of trash.” Over the coming weeks we’ll share extraordinary stories from our members: stories that started with an innocent group post or a chat by the bins and ended up changing the fate of an object, a person, or an animal. Follow these beautiful, moving, and often unexpected stories, admire the artwork, and support us so the Attention, Garbage Truck is Coming! Foundation can operate everywhere.
A Story That Stole Our Hearts
About how to get a cat and fall head over heels in love. It all started at a school desk, well, almost, because the post on the Garbage Truck was actually about old-school educational posters. There was a cat in the photo too, and although Jan didn’t reach out about the posters, he wrote that he’d happily take in the cat. Actually, two cats, since Chrupka the cat had a twin sister too. She also had a foster carer who offered to help with the animals’ ongoing treatment. Looking after the kittens together brought the owners closer, and they’re now married. As they say: through the Garbage Truck to the heart <3
As told by our member:
“Browsing the Wrocław Garbage Truck group, I came across a post about old communist-era school teaching boards. In the photo with the posters, a little kitten had wandered in, and it caught my attention. I happened to be looking for some purring company at home. I commented that I couldn’t help with the boards, but if the kitten was up for adoption I’d love to take her in, ideally as a pair. It turned out that the cat in the photo, Chrupka, was just finishing treatment at a foster home and could be adopted along with her twin sister. Mutual friends vouched to the foster carer that I could give them a good home. I was assured they were in good hands and that I’d get support if anything came up. That support turned out to be necessary, since the cats kept getting sick, but caring for the kittens together brought me closer to their former carer. It turned out that, besides the animals, I found love on the Garbage Truck too. Now, a year and a half after all that, we’re married, and we’re expecting a baby in December. Thank you, Garbage Truck, you’re amazing :)”
From Display to Exhibit
W pełni zgadzamy się ze słowami samej twórczyni wystawy: po co mi nowe, skoro mogę wykorzystać stare?
Wystarczy odrobina wyobraźni – a tego członkom i członkiniom naszych grup zdecydowanie nie brakuje!
Here is how member describe her story:
“My story with the ATTENTION, GARBAGE TRUCK IS COMING! group started completely by chance. One spring day, driving through the Czech Republic, I spotted a communist-era baby stroller, a Liberta model, sitting out with the trash. I stopped and asked the owner if I could take it. They said yes, of course. The stroller brought back childhood memories so strong that I knew exactly where this was headed. I wanted to show it to the world, stir up more memories, and give them to other people. But digging around online, it turned out I couldn’t really afford to buy strollers like that and put together an exhibition. That’s where the group came in. I posted, and wonderful things started arriving. Not just strollers, but also fabric, which I used to sew blankets, pillows, and doll clothes by hand. I received dolls too. Some needed restoring, but I managed. I also decided to hand-paint portraits of children from that era. The exhibition I managed to put together thanks to the group did happen. It was shown in the atelier of the Castle in Zebrzydowice. It sparked wonderfully positive feelings and brought back lovely memories for visitors. Admission to the exhibition, which will travel to several places across Poland, is of course free. On display you can see baby strollers, doll strollers, lace baby wraps, original cloth diapers, and clothing for children and dolls. The oldest dress dates back to the postwar years, and the oldest stroller, for dolls, is from 1905. During the exhibition I talk with visitors about the old days and what children’s toys and accessories used to be made of. I also show that used items once connected generations. Maybe someone will stop by the exhibition and ask themselves: why do I need something new when I can use what’s old? Thank you for such a needed group on Facebook. Together we’re helping minimize the amount of waste that acts like a time capsule…”
Not a Fairy Tale, It's the Garbage Truck!
Full story:
“My child attends a small rural preschool. A real library was something we could only dream of. Funding for a school library is very limited, and building a library for young children from scratch seemed simply unrealistic. So at the start of last school year, our preschool’s Parents’ Council, together with the Head Teacher, launched a grassroots effort to build a library for the preschoolers. We collected books in a number of places, and online, help came from… the Attention, Garbage Truck is Coming! Facebook group 🙂 Thanks to people with big hearts, we managed to gather a sizeable collection. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine from high school posted a whole bag of children’s books on the group. I reached out and told her about our effort. She not only gave us those books but added a few extra titles as well. Thanks to gestures like this, our preschoolers now have a real library, full of fairy tales, stories, and colorful books. This initiative shows that when we join forces and hearts, even the dreams of a small rural preschool can come true!”
Home Sweet Home!
Get comfortable, because this is a beautiful story about things coming back to where they started. Twenty-five years ago, Agnieszka’s mom decided to throw out a chair she’d gotten from her mother-in-law, and no one imagined she’d ever sit on it again. But recently Agnieszka spotted it again by the neighborhood bins, with the very same covers as before! She rushed to help her mom bring the piece back home (because sometimes things really do stay in the family). How could you not fall out of your chair in amazement?
Full story:
“My story is short, but it feels incredible to me 🙂 About 25 years ago, my mom decided to throw out a chair she’d gotten from her mother-in-law. About three weeks ago, that very same chair, with the same covers my parents had sewn, turned up by our bins. I couldn’t believe it and rushed to help my mom carry our chair home. And so, after 25 years away, the chair came back to us. I have photos of my mom sitting on it, and of me standing next to her as a baby :)”
A Parakeet’s Heart
They say the best cure for a bad mood is a long walk. This time, besides a better mood, Ms. Monika, in true Garbage Truck fashion, came home with plant pots, a carrier for the animals at the Albatros Foundation, and… an adorable little parakeet! Misia had been abandoned by her owner, but now lives in bird paradise with her chosen partner, Coco. They’re true lovebirds: they eat together and, since neither can fly, walk around the floor together. A dove’s heart? From now on, for us, it’s a PARAKEET’S heart!
Full story:
I was in a bad mood, so I decided to go for a walk. Along the way I took out the trash and noticed some plant pots and a cat carrier sitting in the shelter. I took the pots, since I have loads of flowers, and the carrier was pure gold for me! I volunteer at the Albatros Foundation in Bukwałd, which rescues and rehabilitates wild birds. My charges are often pigeons (wonderful, clever birds), and during breeding season, various chicks (tits, sparrows). Birds in need live in carriers before being taken to a specialized center. On my way back from the walk I ran into the owner of the discarded items. The conversation went like this: ‘Good morning! You throw it out, I take it, curbside recycling.’ ‘Good morning! Nice, I saw you took the cat carrier.’ ‘Yes, I volunteer for the Albatros Foundation.’ ‘You’re a lifesaver! I live here in the building. On Friday a tenant moved out and left me a parakeet in a cage. I called the animal shelter, but they turned me down. What do I do?’ At that point, nothing else mattered. I went with my neighbor to the building to see the parakeet. A beautiful cockatiel in a very large cage. My neighbor helped me carry the cage with the parakeet to my home. The little parakeet sat there looking sad, so I gave her food and fresh water. I looked at her and tears started rolling down my face. I said to her: ‘Ohh you poor little thing…’ So she got the name Misia. The next day I woke up to her voice: she was singing, whistling, and that’s how our friendship began. I fell in love with her, but I knew she wasn’t happy, because she was lonely, so I started looking for a home for her. In the meantime, I tracked down Misia’s owner. He explained that he’d had to move out suddenly, that he’d meant to come back for the parakeet, and wanted her back. But I stood firm. It turned out Misia was actually a boy, and 8 years old. One day a friend of mine called. It turned out he’d run into some friends of his who kept parakeets. That same day they called me. Four cockatiels already lived in their home, and the whole room was set up for parakeets. We decided they’d take Misia in. The new friends accepted Misia, who after a week started coming out of her cage (she has trouble flying because of damaged feathers). Misia, in turn, fell for Coco, who can’t fly either. They walk the floor together, eat together. I know that after all these years she’s happy, because she has her own bird family and loving, responsible caretakers.”
Campaign created together with us by the Cięty Język agency.
