An unsanctioned Facebook appeal, uploaded by someone wanting to help the Fra Diegu Children’s Home, ended up causing more problems for the nuns who have been inundated with clothes of all sizes, shapes and colours.

In the past days, an urgent appeal was made saying that the nuns desperately needed children’s clothes but the nuns who run the home have no idea where this request originated from.

All it took was one sentence for people to turn up with bags of clothing for the 10 children living there.

The Facebook post, being shared by many, said: “...Fra Diegu Home, Ħamrun, needs clothes for children aged one to 15 years. If you have unwanted clothes which are still in good condition and want to help these children, kindly contact Sr Silvia on 2123 4362. Apparently one-year-olds are wearing three-year-olds’ clothing because they have no other choice. Please do help – we all have extra clothing for our kids.”

But Sr Silvia Cassar politely informed donors such itemswere not needed after she was inundated with clothing and phone calls.

The nun wanted to put everyone’s minds at rest that the children at the home, aged between 18 months and 15 years, were well taken care of.

She was, however, thankful to those who donated unwanted clothes that were still in good condition.

“I do not know where this appeal came from. We madeno appeal... We would prefer donations because the cashcan be used to pay bills andbuy things the children need,”she said.

Sr Silvia made it clear it was “absolutely not true” that one-year-olds were wearing clothes of three-year-olds because they had no clothes. Such rumours and bogus appeals crop up from time to time, usually during Christmas.

Last year, a rumour made the rounds that the Ursuline Crèche in Sliema urgently needed food. Before they knew it, the nuns there had to cope with an exaggerated amount of items, so much so that they had to start turning down donations.

But, unlike clothes or nappies, food expires quickly, so much of it would have gone to waste.