Glasgow The Caring City hails unbelievable response to Ukraine appeal

Scottish charity Glasgow The Caring City has begun delivery of aid on the ground in eastern Europe, backed by an astonishing £150,000 of public and corporate donations generated in just 10 days.

Glasgow The Caring City hails unbelievable response to Ukraine appeal

Ross Galbraith and Debbie McGregor

The charity launched an emergency Ukraine fundraising appeal on February 28, on the same day it sent a first phase of requested aid to the border with Poland, with a second delivery dispatched last Friday.

Inside ten days an incredible £150,000 has been raised from a wide variety of sources, including:

  • Almost £25,000 generated on Glasgow The Caring City’s JustGiving appeal page alone
  • Glasgow-based itison launched its own Ukraine appeal, enabling members to make £5 donations, each funding a hot meals and welfare pack for Ukrainian refugees. Itison bought the first 4,000 packs, a £20,000 donation, before members across Scotland and beyond took that total past 20,000 packs and counting, equating to an incredible £100,000 raised
  • The St Fillans Primary School community in Glasgow raised close to £5,000 through the extraordinary efforts of pupils and parents, match funded by local businessman Des McGuire
  • Stephen Miller organised a sponsored walk around Glasgow raising £560 in the process
  • Aidan Nohar and his friends are climbing Ben Lomond in the coming days
  • Both Partick Thistle FC and ARC Steering Group held bucket collections at sporting events

Ross Galbraith, Glasgow The Caring City’s operations director, said: “Even after 25 years of seeing funds raised to help in moments of true crisis, the generosity of people and the determination to help which we have witnessed over the past 10 days has been quite unbelievable.

“We wish we could namecheck everyone – all we can do is say thank you to each and every person who has donated and done so via so many different means. From the incredible support from Oli Norman and his team at itison, to all the community events and collections, it has been a world class response to help those in a truly horrifying situation. These funds are already making a difference to help displaced Ukrainians and we will make sure every penny raised continues to do so.”

Goods dispatched by Glasgow The Caring City last week, funded by public donations, have already arrived at the charity’s hubs in Wroclaw, Poland and are now being transported on to satellite centres at the Polish border and in Ukraine.

Glasgow The Caring City will have feeding stations, funded by itison donations, set up in Kyiv and Vinnytsia by this weekend providing hot meals and welfare packs for displaced people fleeing heavy fighting around the capital and in the south of the country.

Oli Norman, CEO of itison, added: “Despite the horror unfolding in Ukraine, watching the work of Glasgow the Caring City is truly inspiring. We are humbled by the generosity of itison members and know that their donation will go directly to those on the ground fleeing Ukraine.”

The charity says ongoing donations will enable it to provide further targeted support - donations to the fundraising appeal can continue to be made here.

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