Abbotsford churches have reached out to the Tamil refugees with generous donations of clothes and toys for the women and children who arrived in Canada last week aboard a cargo ship from Sri Lanka.

Les Talvio of Cyrus Centre in Abbotsford sent out a request on Tuesday after getting a call from a friend, who asked if there was a way he could help to get clothes for the women and children and some toys.

"I sent out an e-mail [to some local churches] and was absolutely overwhelmed by the response," said Talvio, the director of the youth shelter.

Cyrus Centre was the drop-off site for goods gathered by several local churches. He expected to receive enough to fill up the back seat of his car.

"The notice went out yesterday, and [Wednesday] we have two van loads of stuff, including new clothes and used clothes, baby stuff, baby clothes, diapers. I was just blown away."

"The community continues to amaze me with its generosity. It is truly a city that cares," he added.

A group of 492 Tamil refugees arrived in Victoria on Aug. 13 aboard a small cargo ship, the MV Sun Sea, after being at sea for about three months.

One recent report says there are 44 children from the ship being detained at the Burnaby Youth Detention Centre.

The children are staying with their mothers, 25 women, as the women await detention hearings and reviews.

Talvio made one delivery of the donated goods on Wednesday, and will make another this week, but he is not taking any more donations.

He expects some items will be taken to the youngsters soon, but items for the women may not be delivered until they are released.

He can't judge whether the Tamils are here legally or not, but "if there is a way I can help people in need, I'll do what I can," he said.

"I can't imagine what it would've been like that length of time on bouncy seas. They probably didn't have a whole lot of stuff with them."

While Talvio is not accepting more donations, people who want to help the refugees may donate to a trust fund set up by Toronto-based Tamil organizations.

The National Council of Canadian Tamils will use the money to pay for phone bills, lawyers and airfare for the detained refugees.

It is expected that many will eventually settle in Toronto, which has a 300,000-member Tamil community, the largest Tamil diaspora outside of Sri Lanka.

w Donations to the Tamil Refugee Trust Fund can be made at any Bank of Montreal branch, transit no. 2986, account no. 8153270.