'The response has been mind-blowing': Cork students collect more than 30 pallets of supplies for people in Ukraine

A CORK secondary school has collected over 30 palettes of emergency supplies to help the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Student council members from St Mary’s Secondary School in Charleville initiated an idea to collect supplies for Ukraine last week.

Their idea snowballed to such an extent that an articulated lorry was needed to collect 33 pallets of equipment destined for Ukraine from the all-girls secondary school. 

School principal Maighréad Finn said the response to their appeal for emergency supplies has been “mind-blowing”.

“Our student council started a collection for Ukraine last Monday,” said Ms Finn. “The idea was that each class would bring in some item for Ukraine.

“The response has been mind-blowing. It is the greatest example of community that we could ever have envisaged. People were so responsive to the need that we put out there.”

The principal said students initially began donating supplies, but soon their families and the local community began to contribute to the appeal.

“First-year students brought in toiletries; second-year students, medical supplies, and third-year students, clothes, with the intention of collating everything in the school on Friday and handing it over. We knew there were drop-off points in Cork city and Limerick city.

“It then snowballed as we opened the whole collection up to the school.

“We brought in their parents and got them involved. We then had local people donating items, so we went from 20 cardboard boxes to booking 33 pallets onto an articulated lorry,” she added.

The truck was scheduled to collect all the pallets today before beginning its journey to Ukraine.

The student council also organised a Help for Ukraine Day in the school on Friday, when the staff members dressed in the Ukrainian colours of blue and yellow.

The pallets have also been packed in the colours of the Ukrainian national flag.

Ms Finn said the plight of the Ukrainian people has resonated with everybody.

“It is a small gesture in the grand scheme of things, but everything helps.

“The plight of the Ukrainian people has resonated with everybody. We do have representatives here from Eastern European countries, including Ukraine.

“This idea came from the young people. It shows their generosity of spirit and their maturity. People are very quick to give out about young people, but our student council have made this happen,” she added.