Ukrainians living in Galway say they have been overwhelmed by the level of support from locals, sending aid packages to their country.
What began as an impromptu collection last weekend, has snowballed into a massive logistical effort in the last seven days.
Having started in the car park of a local Polish shop, the collection hub has moved to Galway Racecourse, to cater for the volume of material being donated.
The organiser of the initiative, Kasia Zaranek, said the reaction from people around Galway city and county had been phenomenal.
She has been assisted in the task of overseeing the collection by a number of volunteers, with many more helping to sort and box goods for dispatch.
Ms Zaranek said she had been in contact with aid agencies, as well as with contacts in Poland and Ukraine, to ascertain exactly what supplies were needed.
Donors are being asked to bring items from a specific list that is being shared on social media channels, so that the most essential requirements can be met as soon as possible.
As well as new bedding and new clothing, sanitary products, medicines and non-perishable foodstuffs are in demand.
A continual flow of vehicles arrived at the Racecourse throughout the day, to unload supplies.
Donations are being opened, checked and repacked for dispatch by around one hundred volunteers.
The first truck loaded with aid will depart Galway on Monday. Organisers hope that a second truck can leave for the Polish border on Wednesday and are working to secure access to western Ukraine, should the situation allow.
A number of Ukrainians living in Galway have volunteered to assist in the sorting and packing effort.
Among them, Ihor Levykskyy, who travelled to Poland this week to meet his mother and ex-wife, who had fled from the city of Lviv. After reuniting at the border crossing on Thursday, they flew to Ireland and registered as refugees.
Mr Levykskyy's 22-year-old son has stayed in Ukraine to join in the resistance effort.
His fellow countrywoman, Lyubava Semchuk, spoke today of the worry being experienced by those with relatives exposed to the Russian onslaught. Her Kyiv based family are still able to maintain contact by telephone but the end of each call starts another fearful wait for news of their welfare.
"People keep asking me if they are okay. I can only say the last moment I speak to them they was alive. Right now, I don't know."
The collection will pause tomorrow and resume on Monday morning.
