It started as a desire to bring joy to the eyes of children in the country's villages and was initially aimed at children of families with precarious financial situations. Later, the project included all children and adolescents from Transylvania counties and beyond, enrolled in a form of education. They were visited every year by Tășuleasa volunteers, who brought packages with basic necessities, prepared by children from Germany and transported with the help of Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe. Along the way, the action turned into an education for change through the project "Good Day - Small Volunteer Day".

In the beginning

In 2000, the Christmas Truck arrived in Bistrița-Năsăud County, the county where we are at home. This event was received with great enthusiasm and hope, which is also reflected in the press of the time. Here is a suggestive article about the beginnings of this project:

The Christmas truck also arrived in our county

04 Aug 2001

Organized by the Knights of John and Radio "Antene Bayern".

For the third time in a row, the Christian organization "Die Johanniter" and Radio "Antene Bayern" in Germany organized a humanitarian transport entitled "Christmas Truck" to some countries in Southeast Europe. He also arrived in our county, and the representatives of the Order of the Knights of John were received on Saturday by the sub-prefect Viorel Pupeza. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the people of Bayern prepared packages containing food (sugar, oil, pasta, sweets, etc.), school supplies and toys.

Thus, over 40,000 packages were collected for Romania, Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Viorel Pupeza thanked the guests for coming to our lands again and expressed his hope that such actions will take place again. He also apologized, on behalf of Romanian officials, for problems with customs, which delayed the entry of aid into the country. The transport included 10 trucks, of which 7 of 20 tons, and the aid was distributed both in our county and in Bihor, Cluj and Harghita. For Bistrița-Năsăud, over 3000 packages were prepared for children from the communes of Tiha Bârgăului, Leșu Ilvei, Chiochiș, from the town of Beclean and from the Ilișua TB Preventorium.

The representatives of the Order of the Knights of John arrived in the country for the first time immediately after the events of December 1989. They arrived in our county thanks to Alin Uhlmann-Ușeriu, president of the association "Tășuleasa Social" and came every year with numerous transports of aid. In fact, this time too, the German guests were accompanied by Lorand Szüszner, the president of "Johanniter Unfall Hilfe".

He said on Saturday that he was happy with the people he met in our county, which will lead Ioaniți to send more consistent aid here. "Those who receive aid must work with us. We want a partnership with the representatives of the local administrations, and in Bistrița-Năsăud we have found reliable partners. That's why we will come here with more concentrated transport, "said Lorand Szüszner. Please note that all those who accompanied the transport did so voluntarily, their only thanks being the joy that could be read on the children's faces when they received the aid.

Article by Sorin Mureșanu

So far (2021), through the Christmas Truck, we have distributed over 400,000 gifts to children from several counties in the country, but also from the Republic of Moldova. This project also took place in 2020, under special conditions imposed by the pandemic.