BELFAST — From March 13 until April 23, everyone in the greater Belfast community is encouraged to assist the people of Syria, who are suffering from the hardships of war in that country, by bringing used clothing to participating churches in Belfast, including the First Baptist Church (95 High St.) and The First Church in Belfast, UCC (8 Court St.).

Used clothing should be clean and in gently used condition. On Saturday, April 23, starting at 9 a.m., all donated items will be collected at The First Church in Belfast, UCC, packed into boxes and readied for delivery to the NuDay Syria relief agency in New Hampshire for shipment to Syria.

Nearly half of all Syrians have been forced to flee their homes since 2011, and nearly 300,000 have lost their lives. This all started when peaceful pro-democracy protests were met with a brutal government response, and the situation has slowly unraveled into the worst humanitarian crisis of our generation. For the past two years, Alison McKellar of Camden, determined to be more than a bystander in this situation, has initiated the collection of clothing, bedding, medical supplies, nonperishable food, and many other items from individuals, hospitals, and local businesses. She has organized an ever growing force of volunteers who have sorted and boxed up the donated goods each week. She has then, about every six to eight weeks, obtained a large rental truck and transported these supplies to the nonprofit agency NuDay Syria in Nashua, NH where donations from similar groups are combined for shipment. In recent weeks, Alison has given numerous slide presentations about her work and has demonstrated NuDay Syria's remarkable success in delivering dozens of 40-foot long cargo containers packed full of relief materials to the people of Syria, who urgently need them. Alison hopes to fill the next container with donations gathered entirely from the mid-coast.

The Belfast clothing drive and pack up is sponsored by the Greater Bay Area Ministerium and will be coordinated with the relief efforts of Ms. McKellar in Camden. Additional information can be obtained by calling First Church in Belfast at 207-338-2282.