In brief

• The 26th edition of Szlachetna Paczka opened on 14 November with a database of families awaiting Christmas help.
• Nearly 11,000 families are waiting, and donors can choose households until 11 December.
• Gifts are due to reach families during the 12–13 December weekend, with local families in the Wadowice region also listed.

Families waiting for help

Since Saturday, 14 November, donors have been able to browse the online database of families on the Szlachetna Paczka website and select one to support. The campaign's motto this year is "Twojej pomocy nic nie zastąpi!" – "Nothing can replace your help!" (Ruszyła 26. edycja Szlachetnej Paczki. Każdy może pomóc potrzebującej rodzinie – wadowiceonline.pl) (Komu możesz pomóc w ramach Szlachetnej Paczki? Przeczytaj poruszające historie – Onet). Organisers say nearly 11,000 families are waiting for assistance, and households can be picked until 11 December (Ruszyła 26. edycja Szlachetnej Paczki. Tysiące osób łączą siły, by pomagać – Radio Kraków).

What families are dealing with

The stories published with the campaign describe everyday hardship. A mother cares for a son with muscular dystrophy and lifts him by hand because the family cannot afford a specialist lift; they use a chair as a rehabilitation bar and a rug as a mat (Tysiące rodzin czeka na pomoc. Ruszyła Szlachetna Paczka 2026 – RMF24). A man who was injured in an accident is left with 150 zloty a month after paying his most essential bills. Another family kept food on a windowsill after their fridge broke down. Some households cook on a borrowed stove after a fire destroyed their own, and a girl does her homework on a phone because there is no laptop. Organisers say the campaign focuses on cases where ordinary objects replace essential equipment, such as a chair used as rehabilitation gear.

Gifts and key dates

Gifts are scheduled to reach families during a "weekend of miracles" on 12 and 13 December. The campaign's organising association, Wiosna, presented the database opening at a ceremony at the Faculty of Chemistry of Jagiellonian University in Kraków, where its president Joanna Sadzik said the help offered by volunteers cannot be replaced.

Local families

Regional outlets report that households in towns around Wadowice, including Andrychów, Kęty and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, are also on the list. Their needs range from food and cleaning supplies to furniture and household electronics (Można już wybierać rodziny do Szlachetnej Paczki. Na liście mieszkańcy regionu – mamnewsa.pl).