COG and community join forces to help Ukraine

COG members and volunteers mucked in to make sure the donations were packed and ready within a week of the appeal being launched!

The Christian Outreach Group, better known as COG, is renowned for doing stellar work in the Crossford community that it serves.

However, its members latest effort proved to be super human – and was achieved with a huge amount of support from the wider Clydesdale community.

A week after agreeing to collect much-needed goods for the Ukraine Christian Ministries, the cogs turned on a massive truck carrying 338 boxes – weighing more than four tonnes.

The shipment is now at the UCM’s UK office in Bournemouth and will soon be taken to Lviv, where it will be distributed to churches in the Cherkasy region.

Another box is packed, ready for its journey to Ukraine.

Ministers there are dealing with hundreds of displaced Ukrainians, as well as delivering goods and rescuing people from Kharkiv.

It’s been a whirlwind effort for COG members, among their number Andrew Ross who spoke to us about the collection.

He said: “What attracted us to this project was the fact we knew the aid was going direct to Ukraine to meet the specific needs of these churches.

“We’d all been praying for the people there but this was an opportunity to put our prayers into action.

“I contacted the session clerk at Dalserf Parish Church and within 12 hours we were given permission to use Hamilton Hall as our collection point. Other local churches also raised awareness .

“The printers in Lanark had the posters done for us in eight hours and we leafleted 500 homes in Crossford and Kirkfieldbank.

“The Post Office in Crossford agreed to act as a drop-off point for donations and sign up volunteers for packing.

“Many businesses in the Clydesdale area were also very generous in donating goods to the cause – it’s been a huge community effort.

“We took donations from Monday to Thursday of last week and by Friday, when the truck arrived, there were 11 pallets containing 338 boxes.”

Non perishable foods, toiletries, blankets and clothing donated by folk across Clydesdale are now on their way to Ukraine.

Andrew added: “We were overwhelmed by the response and can’t thank everyone enough.”

Generous locals also donated £1560 to help cover the transport costs.