MORAY’S REFUGEE CRISIS response received a massive boost this week when two vacant business units were made available by Moray Council – allowing the group to set up and coordinate the local response.
The units on one of Elgin’s industrial estates will become a handling centre for the thousands of items donated to ‘Moray Supports Refugees’ by local residents and businesses.
Moray Council has also put one of its vehicles at the disposal of the group to help with the collection and distribution of donated items – which so far has included clothing, footwear and sleeping bags. For volunteers are currently undergoing training to allow them to drive the van.
Moray Council leader Stewart Cree said: “The immediate needs of the thousands of refugees fleeing their homeland continue to be the focus of the huge international relief effort – and understandably so.
“However, it is equally important that when they are finally resettled – wherever that might be – arrangements are in place to enable them to integrate into their new surroundings.
“They will arrive with little or no possessions and will require the everyday household items that we take for granted.
“The council has made these two units available to help the local volunteers deal with the practicalities of collecting, sorting and distributing the huge volume and variety of items that the people of Moray are donating to the refugees’ cause.”
A spokesman for Moray Supports Refugees said: “We are delighted at the fantastic response we have received from people in Moray to the crisis.
“That has been matched by Moray Council who have been involved from the start in helping us put in place a structure under which we can help coordinate and organise the Moray response ahead of refugee families actually arriving in the region.
“The storage units and vehicle is a massive boost to our efforts – now we will embark on organising the many items already donated ready for distribution to wherever they are required.”
More information on Moray Supports Refugees can be found on their Facebook page.