Exhausted women and children stumble out from overfilled buses. It is just another step in their ongoing journey to safety after crossing the border from Ukraine to Poland.
They are just a small few of the million who have so far fled their homes.
They are guided to a reception, where they are greeted by an army of volunteers helping them to register their identities. Amid their desperation following days on the move, they are guided over to piles of of vital food bags, clothes, toiletries and gifted toys for their little ones.
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It is a stellar operation - ongoing for 24 hours a day at various points along the Polish border with Ukraine, which has been devastated by the ongoing Russian invasion.
Thousands are making the long journey, on foot, on buses, and by train, going from a life as Ukrainian civilians with homes, jobs and families, to desperate refugees.
And although Poland is accepting refugees without a passport, there have been mile-long lines at border crossings as thousands flock to reception centres. It has been reported that some have had to wait as long as 60 hours to be processed.
Among those helping aid the wide-scale operation is Salford-born Mick Griffin. He moved to Poland 14 years ago and has since started a family, living with his wife and two sons in the coastal city of Gdynia.
When the news broke that the border laws were being relaxed to support fleeing families, he said he was left 'completely overwhelmed' by the generosity of the people of Poland.
Ever since the war began on February 24, Poland opened its borders to anyone fleeing Ukraine, regardless of their nationality. It is thought more than one million people have so far fled Ukraine, with more than 500,000 crossing into Polish territory, according to the BBC.
Mick knew he had to help - so spontaneously jumped in his car and drove 450 miles from his home, before reaching a sports centre in Hrubieszów on Wednesday (March 2). It is a mere three miles from the border.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News from Poland, Mick said: "I knew I had to reach out and wanted to do something to help. I am in a comfortable job with a family and a home - these people no longer have that.
"It was so raw and emotional, it is the first time I have been within touching distance of such heartbreak and devastation.
"When you arrive, there are huge groups of mothers alone with their young children, and elderly people who have spent days travelling.
"These people are coming off these buses with no idea what their next steps will be. It is a frightening and uncertain time for them. Many appeared relieved that they had finally reached a point of safety, as they had been pushed across the border not by choice.
"But at the same time, they need to take a minute and try and figure out what their next steps are. The humanitarian response from Polish people has just been so overwhelming.
"Literally everyone I know in Poland is offering to help someway, whether that be donating supplies, driving people from the border into Poland or opening their homes to desperate families."
The largest numbers of refugees have headed for Poland, with others also entering Hungary, Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia.
In the first five days of the invasion of Ukraine, more than 280,000 people sought safety in neighbouring Poland, crossing at eight different points along the 500km border. Manning the efforts are Polish citizens, who have come out in force to support the new arrivals.
It has been reported by Reuters that some 2,500 apartments were advertised in the capital of Warsaw offering beds to refugees.
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Authorities there are registering refugees and providing them with accommodation and assistance, supported by UNHCR and the UN Refugee Agency whilst also moving additional relief supplies to a warehouse near the border for distribution. The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also said that the refugees are “welcome to bring their pets with them”.
The registration centres also give solace to the families who have spent days travelling, offering them a space to sleep, eat, and be supported with advice on their next steps.
Speaking about the scenes he witnessed at the border, Mick told the M.E.N that swathes of volunteers offered to drive groups of refugees to various places across Poland.
He drove four people, including a woman who had brazenly travelled back into a Ukraine warzone to save her elderly mother living in a high rise block, to Warsaw. It was a trip that took more than 900 miles.
The former Salford Red Devils rugby player said that the sheer mass of donations has meant some centres are hitting their donation capacity.
"Within the first two hours of me arriving at the centre, there must have been 300 refugees arrive from Ukraine," he says.
"That is just one centre. Imagine how many there will be up and down the border.
"This is coming in on a constant stream of trains and buses, every day. When I turned up, I saw various stations with donations piling up by the minute, of different supplies from clothes to food. I would even say they were at capacity because they had so many donations.
"Essentially it is an entire ecosystem, it is a mammoth effort offering people somewhere to stay, take shelter and feel comfortable for a short while. What we had was people coming off the minibuses, seeming relieved at first but also breaking down at what they have been through and about what their next steps could be.
"These families are in survival mode. The supply and demand is just constant and will continue to be across the Polish registration centres.
"My only goal was to walk in and offer to help in whatever capacity I can. I will be going back and will try to rent a minibus so I can drive more people to their next destination."
Mick has since confirmed he has rented a minibus and will return to the registration site, in Hrubieszów, on Friday (March 4).
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