Ukrainian ministers thank COG and the people of Clydesdale

Families in Ukraine are very grateful for the support they've received from COG and the people of Clydesdale.

We reported last month how the Christian Outreach Group in Crossford, better known as COG, harnessed the goodwill of locals to gather 338 boxes – weighing more than four tonnes – in the space of a week.

Churches, businesses and people in communities across Clydesdale worked together to donate the goods, destined for Ukraine Christian Ministries (UCM).

Initially, the consignment was taken to Lviv before being distributed to churches in the Cherkasy region. Ministers there are dealing with hundreds of displaced Ukrainians, as well as delivering goods and rescuing people from Kharkiv.

A huge community effort saw 338 boxes of aid being collected in the space of a week.

COG member Andrew Ross was delighted to receive an update from Pastor Dima Koval recently – explaining how the goods have been put to good use.

The pastor at Kadena Gora Church said: “It was an incredible effort to gather so much aid in the space of a week. We are so very grateful.”

Vitality, a volunteer at Camp Maximum who helped deliver the goods, added: “I want to thank all the UCM supporters, especially those who worked on packaging all the pallets with humanitarian aid.

“They were high quality items that really served well. I cannot think of a single box that wasn't used.”

It was a huge community effort – with Dalserf Parish Church giving COG permission to use Hamilton Hall as a collection point, other local churches raising awareness at Sunday services, businesses donating goods and local people both donating items and rolling up their sleeves to pack up the goods.

Andrew was delighted to hear that the aid had been so gratefully received and he wanted to share that news with all those who donated or supported the collection.

He said: “The thing that attracted us to helping UCM was that we knew the aid would go directly to families most in need.

“To hear that it’s been so gratefully received makes all the effort worthwhile.

“However, it would not have been possible had people and businesses across Clydesdale not donated so generously. I’d just like to say a huge thank you to them all once again.”