LEXINGTON, Va. – First Baptist Church of Lexington looks more like Goodwill these days as piles of pants, shoes and jackets cover tabletops, chairs, pews, and floors.
Pastor McKinley Williams watched the devastation unfold in Ukraine and got an idea.
“Four million people grabbing whatever they had. The only thing they had was whatever they grabbed,” said Williams. “And I figured they needed some clothing.”
He called someone on the ground in Poland, but to his surprise, he was told to send money or bibles.
“How are they gonna read the bible walking around with clothes they’ve been wearing for a month. I wouldn’t want to touch a bible. I would want some decent clothes,” said Williams.
Still, Williams didn’t quit. He found another organization collecting clothes for refugees and put out the call to his congregation.
“We had a Martin Luther King service Sunday and I put the word out. Put it on Facebook and had flyers out. And the community came out big,” said Williams.
As word spread, more and more donations came pouring in completely filling the church’s basement.
This weekend, volunteers will pack about 300 boxes of clothing before driving them up to a warehouse in northern Virginia next week to be flown overseas. Williams even rented U-Hauls to make sure they could get all the donations where they need to go.
Church member Justina Eason said she is in awe.
“You would never think in this small town that people would actually pull together as much as they have for this,” said Eason.
From thousands of miles away, Williams hopes these clothes send a message.
“I think it will be a message of hope and it may turn their lives and days around,” said Williams.