Irish Red Cross Buncrana branch staging raffle as part of Ukrainian crisis appeal

The Irish Red Cross Buncrana branch held a raffle in to raise funds for Humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

The draw was organised by John Porter of the Buncrana Red Cross team. He was accompanied by fellow volunteers Eva Gallagher, Brooke Gillespie, Jack Brolly, Patrick Doherty, and Deirdre.

The money raised will go towards the Irish Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal. It will provide support for Red Cross on the ground in Ukraine, aiding with the reparation of infrastructure and health facilities and providing food and hygiene items.

Buncrana Red Cross volunteer John Porter said the locals had been extremely generous in their donations: “So far so good, some people are throwing in 20 pounds, some of them throwing in 50 pounds, it’s been very good.

“The money will go to the Buncrana Red Cross, and we’ll forward it on to the red cross in Ireland and it’ll go towards the refugees.”

In a recent appeal to the public the Irish Red Cross advised people to donate money not goods to Ukraine as it can be difficult to get goods into the country.

“Most goods are perishable and If they send goods the Russian troops could confiscate them, but they can’t get at the money,” Mr Porter said.

Cash donations to the Red Cross and similar organisations allow for standardised emergency relief. This means medical supplies and other crisis aid items which have been properly assessed will reach those in need.

Buncrana Cross Volunteer Eva Gallagher said that in times of crisis people it is important that people remain aware that disaster can hit anyone at any moment.

“I think we should stop assuming that it’s not as bad as it is and remain considerate of the fact that it is happening and that it could happen to us. Like the time when the floods hit us here - we didn’t expect it would happen, but we all tied together.

“In a time of crisis - don’t jump straight to the conclusion of ‘it’s never going to happen to us.’ If we were in their situation, we’d have to do the same and appeal for help. At the end of the day, we’re in a world where anything could happen,” she said.

The Irish Red Cross have also appealed to the public to offer a spare room or property to those fleeing the invasion. So far Donegal has over 200 pledges to house Ukrainian refugees.

A spokesperson for the Irish Red Cross said they were “blown away” by the 14,000 pledges in total across Ireland, a significant increase on the 1,000 pledges during their Syrian campaign a few years ago.

“The Irish Red Cross have been blown away by the generosity of the Irish people both from an accommodation pledge point of view and for donating money, they have been simply astonishing.

“We are asking those who have registered with us with offers of accommodation to bear with us and our contact team will be in touch over the coming weeks,” the spokesperson said.

The Buncrana Red Cross team said they would like to thank everyone locally for their donations and support.