Perthshire North MSP, Mr John Swinney, has visited a donation site to meet with volunteers organising a local Ukraine humanitarian effort.
Mr Swinney met with volunteers in Errol, where collections are being gathered from organisations and individuals as far away as Edinburgh. Items that are being donated include medication, warm clothes and pet food.
Commenting, Mr Swinney said: “I was overwhelmed and humbled by the scale of the community response to the crisis in Ukraine.
“To see so many different people from different walks of life pull together in support of a common cause was heartening, and speaks to the fundamental decency of the people of Perthshire.
“I was also taken aback by the level of donations that have thus far been received. Even during my time spent at the site, multiple trucks carrying donations appeared.
“It was particularly useful to meet with those who are co-ordinating the shipping of items overseas. I was able to get a better understanding of their experiences, and to hear about any challenges they are facing in getting donations out the door and to people in need as quickly and with as little red tape as possible. I have asked the organisers to reach out to my office should they require any assistance on this front, and I will be happy to do whatever I can to support their magnificent efforts.
“I would like to put on record my thanks to Touch of Poland, Polish Taste, the Polish Scouts Association in Perth, the Polish Saturday School and all other groups and individuals who have co-ordinated and contributed to this effort. I would also like to extend my thanks to Morris Leslie for providing the warehouse facilities to make this possible.
“With well over a million refugees having already fled Ukraine, this is a humanitarian crisis that will endure for a significant period of time. To that end, I would ask any of my constituents who are able to consider donating to a local Ukraine collection, or donate directly to the Disasters Emergency Committee via dec.org.uk. The UK Government will match pound-for-pound up to £20m of any donations from the public.”
