MEMBERS of the Lions Club of Tavistock and those involved with Operation Sunshine say they have been 'absolutely amazed' at the public's most generous response to their recent appeal for donations of rice and other foodstuffs.
Around 1,500 1kg bags were collected over a three day period at town branches of Morrisons and Somerfield, which caused both supermarkets to run out of their 'value' bags of rice.
In addition to the rice, the Lions received £350 towards the £9,000 cost of purchasing the container and its transport to Zimbabwe, plus 550 bags of pasta, 800 assorted tins of fish and meat, 100 bags of flour, 60 bags of sugar and around 80 litres of cooking oil.
This Saturday, the goods will be loaded into the next 40ft container with other desperately needed items such as clothing, educational equipment and medical supplies and it will then be shipped to Operation Sunshine's partners in New Hope Villages, Zimbabwe, where their project supports many orphanages and schools caring for children who have been abandoned either through poverty or because they have been orphaned by the AIDS virus.
The Lions and all involved with Operation Sunshine would like to thank both Morrisons and Somerfield for their co-operation with the appeal and also all those who gave most generously.
A spokesman said: 'We think that we have problems at the moment but these are nothing compared with what the children of Zimbabwe are going through.'
As a result of the tremendous response a further collection is planned for later in the year.