X-Press Legal Services is helping deliver aid direct to earthquake affected communities in Turkey.
Less than three weeks on from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck the Turkey-Syria border, X-Press Legal Services has delivered over £1,500 worth of aid, thanks to a member of staff currently based in Turkey.
Employee Katie Marachino (36) has worked for X-Press Legal Services’ Stockport office for over three years. In 2021, Katie relocated to her favourite holiday hotspot, Marmaris in the southwest of the country, from where she continues to fulfil her search support role for the company.
When Katie’s local council in Turkey announced it would be sending daily supplies into the disaster struck Hatay province, Katie knew she had to act:
“The day the earthquake hit, I felt helpless watching the news knowing that these people have lost everything,” commented Katie. “I have friends who have lost their homes in the earthquake and I also have friends who have sadly lost family members. It was heart-breaking to see the suffering first hand so I reached out to my colleagues in the UK to share what was going on and how we could help the aid trucks.”
The 27 strong network of X-Press offices across England and Wales immediately jumped into action, donating funds to enable Katie to purchase supplies needed in the disaster zone. Over £1,500 in donations have enabled Katie to purchase critical items, from electric heaters and blankets for survivors now living in tents, to food, clothes and toiletries.
“6,000 thousand survivors have been brought to Marmaris and are being put up in hotels here,” added Katie. “The majority arrived with nothing. Thanks to the support of X-Press, I have been able to provide footwear, underwear and children’s t-shirts to survivors in the hotels, alongside baby supplies and toiletries. The earthquake survivors who have lost their homes will not be able to return for at least a year and I will continue to do all I can with X-Press’ support to help them.”
Lynne Lister, MD of X-Press Legal Services added: “We are incredibly proud of Katie’s selfless reaction to the earthquake and how swiftly our network in the UK responded to her plea for help. X-Press has always been a family run business, which puts people before anything else, so to be able to directly help the Turkish community was something we all felt compelled to do. We will be continuing to support Katie over the coming months and our thoughts are very much with the people of Turkey and Syria impacted by this dreadful natural disaster.”