By now it’s not news to us that large public gatherings won’t be taking place in July.
While that is of course disappointing, the Santa Shoebox Project is nonetheless able to offer a rewarding and meaningful way to contribute on Mandela Day this year.
On July 18 the beautiful new Virtual Santa Shoebox online journey is being launched – better than ever before.
For the first time, personalised virtual Santa Shoeboxes will be trackable, along with traditional Santa Shoeboxes, via the Santa Shoebox App which is available from Google Play and the App Store.
READ: Why a Santa Shoebox is so much more than a box
By following the prompts on the website, from July 18, supporters will be able to choose their virtual Santa Shoebox beneficiary child/ren by name, age and gender, select the items to be included in the shoebox, write the child a note – and let them do the rest.
Virtual Santa Shoeboxes are made by teams of volunteers and allocated to children living in remote areas of South Africa.
Due to the lack of donors in rural areas, these children would otherwise not receive a Santa Shoebox, and quite possibly no end-of-year gift at all.
In 2020, with the massive economic impact of Covid-19, the value of a Santa Shoebox to an underprivileged child is unquestionable.
Every virtual Santa Shoebox contains all eight required items:
• toothpaste and toothbrush
• soap and facecloth
• sweets
• toy
• school supplies
• and an outfit of clothing
READ: Help Rata feed hungry families
Additional sponsored items are added as available and age-appropriate.
In the past these have included books, lunch boxes and drinking bottles, teen hygiene products, magazines and fluffy toys.
Traditional Santa Shoebox pledging opens to the public on September 1 for those donors who prefer to do their own shopping, decorating, packing and dropping off.
Register or log-in on the Santa Shoebox home page to ensure your donor profile is up to date https://santashoebox.org.za/
Later in the year, towards the end of October, supporters will be invited to spend their 67-minutes of service volunteering at their local drop off – receiving, checking and packing Santa Shoeboxes.
Drop-offs will be conducted in keeping with prevailing Covid-19 regulations.
For detailed information about how to volunteer, visit the Santa Shoebox Project website https://santashoebox.org.za/volunteer-my-time/
In its 14 years, South Africa’s best-loved children’s charity has touched the lives of 957 297 underprivileged children throughout South Africa and Namibia.
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