Cork answers the call
A Turkish doctor has thanked the people of Cork for their “astonishing” generosity in helping the victims of the recent Turkish and Syrian earthquake.
Boxes are currently being shipped from Ireland to Turkey by land and air as calls continue for cash donations.
Following news of the quake, Dr Begüm Genç-McEvoy, who lives in Cork, quickly set up a local supplies collection with Kim O’Sullivan from Cork-based Aaltonen International Moving and Storage.
Dr Genç-McEvoy it was “amazing” to see the people of Cork going to shops and spending their money to buy new warm clothes, boots, sleeping bags, food, and sanitary items to help those in need.
In Cork, 2 main collection points were established at the depot of Aaltonen International Moving and Storage company, and the ICOT College in Ballintemple. There were also further collection points in Carrigaline, West Cork and Midleton.
“We got so much goodwill and support. When living abroad, it is times like this that makes an expat feel welcome and closer to home,” said Ms Genç-McEvoy.
A family-run Cork company, Aaltonen International provided transport for donations to be brought to the Turkish Embassy in Dublin. The company also allowed use of its depot as a collection and sorting point.
Brian McEvoy, supplies and storage manager, said: “It really hit home as my wife is Turkish and we had just come back from Turkey a few days before the disaster. We did not even think twice to get on board.”
Within 4 days of the initial call out, more than 4,000 cubic feet of donation boxes were collected in Cork. After sorting, the Aaltonen team delivered more than 1,500 boxes to the Turkish embassy in Ireland.
Dr Genç-McEvoy continued: “The affected Turkish people will need continuous support. As of today, more than 40 thousand people lost their lives in Turkiye. Thousands of units - apartments, houses) - are in unusable condition. The affected area is larger than the entire area of Ireland and the population in the area is more than 13 million.
“Many thanks to Chris, Graham and Felipe from Cork City Missing Persons Search and Rescue team, and Emily and Pat from Morgan’s Daybreak on Tramore Road.
“They all assisted collection, and helped with the sorting, packing, and transportation of the collections.
“There were many more volunteers from the Turkish community in Cork who tirelessly assisted with sorting, packing, and loading on top of their donations,” she said.