About 432 cubic feet of clothing, packed in bags and boxes, went from the Milford Methodist United Church to Chatham, Ill. Friday to eventually help 3 million Afghan refugees camped on Pakistan's border.

        The clothes will be airlifted by the U.S. State Department.

        Tristate volunteers Dan Shaw, Scott Van Cauwenbergh and Richard Chamberland used a 6-by-12-foot trailer and a church van to deliver the clothes, collected from churches, civic organizations and individuals over the past three weeks.

        “The response has simply been amazing,” said Robert Terwillegar, a member of the mission committee. “We received a letter from the Midwest Mission Distribution Center on Jan. 2 asking us to help in the clothing drive.”

        The State Department made the request through the center, asking for warm clothing such as sweaters, gloves and mittens, sweat suits and insulated flannel shirts.

        “We all got busy, contacting other churches and local schools, making and distributing posters, giving articles to newspapers, trying to figure how to get everything to Chatham by Jan. 25,” Mr. Terwillegar said.

        By Jan. 24, they had a church chapel packed with clothing, which they sorted and packaged.

        “We counted over 210 bags — all sizes, from garbage to shopping — and 16 large boxes,” he said. “A van from Westwood United Methodist Church, jammed with 100 more bags, arrived as we were loading. A pickup truckload from Bethel United Methodist Church is yet to be unloaded.”

        Many donors would not identify themselves.

        The mission committee members who loaded the trailer Thursday were: Mr. Terwillegar and his wife, Margaret, Tim Nabors, Carla Holloway, Lori Becker and the Rev. Joe Payne, pastor of Milford United Methodist Church.

        Finneytown High School, Roger Bacon and Ursuline Academy are working with the Millcreek Valley Habitat for Hu manity to build a home in College Hill. Groundbreaking is set for 9 a.m. Feb. 2 at 2139 McKinley Ave.

        Each school contributes $5,000. Students, staff and alumni have already formed committees, and a Finneytown student designed a logo for T-shirts.

        Allen Howard's “Some Good News” column runs Monday-Friday and Sundays. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or acts of kindness, let him know at (513) 768-8362; at ahoward@enquirer.com; or by fax at (513) 768-8340.
       

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