'Tremendous' response to Ukraine appeal at TUS Athlone

On Friday last, a large collection of goods donated by school children, college students and local residents was shipped off from TUS in Athlone to the border between Poland and Ukraine.

TUS Athlone chaplain Fr Shay Casey said that although this appeal was not widely advertised it still attracted a huge response, with enough goods donated in recent weeks to fill "a normal-sized sitting room."

Children's clothes, nappies, men's and women's jackets, scarves, medical supplies and non-perishable foods were among the goods provided. They all had to be sorted, checked for quality, and packed into clearly-labelled boxes.

Athlone GAA Club was involved in the appeal and it stored the goods for a time before they were taken to the John McCormack Hall on the TUS campus to be sorted.

Fr Shay explained that a company in Ballinasloe donated a number of bales of cotton wool, and the Marist College provided a supply of its sports jerseys and tracksuit tops - which happen to bear the same yellow and blue colours as Ukraine.

"Children in schools in Roscommon also gave us cards to put in with the goods and they had messages on them saying things like, 'we hope you're well, we're thinking of you, and our county colours are the same as your colours,'" said Fr Shay.

The goods were packed into lorries on Friday and shipped off to be distributed on the Poland-Ukraine border.

The TUS chaplain praised the "tremendous generosity" shown in response to the appeal, saying it had exceeded his expectations.

Fr Shay has also been involved in trying to source accommodation in Ireland for Ukrainian people forced to leave their homes.

"There's 10 million people out of accommodation in Ukraine, so it's a huge problem. Some are in hotels in Ireland, but putting them in hotels is not the solution.

"Matching people with families is hugely important and that takes time," he commented.