Doing charity work is fun and easy, right? It doesn’t take up much time and there’s the added bonus of having done something good for your fellow man.
As the Santa Shoebox Project’s national sponsorship and regional manager for Gauteng, Free State, North West, Port Elizabeth and East London Margie Kostelac is no stranger to charity work – possibly why she is not quick to agree this type of work is easy.
She tells us more about her involvement and about the success of this project, which has benefited close on a million children over the past 13 years.
What is the Santa Shoebox Project?
Eachy ear the Santa Shoebox Project collects and distributes gifts for underprivileged children throughout South Africa and Namibia, quite literally in shoeboxes which are beautifully decorated.
How did you become involved?
“My working background is the hospitality industry, which I loved, but I was retrenched 13 years ago. I needed to keep busy. One day a friend sent me an email about the Santa Shoebox Project, so I got my mom,who had Alzheimer’s, involved to knit beanies to donate to the project. We filled an apple box with beanies and went to drop them
with a woman in Joburg. I was astonished to find the woman’s house filled with shoeboxes and said “it looks like you need help” …the rest is history! That was the start of my journey with the Santa Shoebox Project.
Who started the concept?
“A woman in Cape Town who went through her own children’s cupboards and realised how many items of clothing, toys and other things theydon’t use. She wanted to teach them about the joy of giving and so packed shoeboxes with their unused items for underprivileged children. The project’s slogan today is “Share the joy of giving”.
How successful has the project been?
“In the past 13 years, the generosity of the public has reached 858 673 children. This is what we’ve distributed over the years: 2006 –(180 shoeboxes), 2007 (2 000), 2008 (8 000), 2009 (16 000), 2010 (31 000) 2011 (70 000), 2012 (99 470), 2013(118 274), 2014 (108 673), 2015 (95 975) 2016 (100 201), 2017 (110 414) and 2018 (96 079).”
How do you identify the children who get a shoebox?
“Each year we invite organisations which deal with or care for underprivileged children – orphanages, schools, children’s homes, etc. – to apply to be beneficiaries of the project. We received 2 430 applications this year. All of these applications are vetted by our coordinators before they are approved. Pledging starts on September 1when we publish the list of children’s names per area. Supporters can then go to our website, santashoebox.org.za, and select the recipient of their shoebox by name, age and gender. You can select as many recipients as you like.”
How does the project uphold the rights of children it represents?
“By ensuring that active steps are taken to prevent third parties from interfering with and violating the children’s rights. To protect the identity of the recipient children in our project, we no longer display a list of children’s names in direct association with the name of a facility in a public domain, such as on our website. This ensures that no member of the public will gain access to a named child through our website. We are aware that many of our donors continue to support the same facilities year after year, and we realise the necessary change to the pledging process may create some disappointment. However, we also know that you will support any policy that keeps our children safe from potential harm.”
How much work is it to be part of this project?
A lot! People often say, “Margie, you only work for charity, how busy can you be?” Believe me, it is a full-time job and is, literally, my full-time job at the moment. We start planning and preparing at the start of the year and the work doesn’t end until the end of the year when all the shoeboxes are in the hands of the children they are packed for. It’s a mammoth task, but the adrenaline, buzz and reward are worth every minute.
Who else is involved?
“We have coordinators across the country who look after their areas and are also very well supported by sponsors, volunteers and service organisations like Rotary and Round Table.”
Do you use volunteers?
“Yes, absolutely. Volunteers are the heart of the Santa Shoebox Project. At the beginning of each year, friends, families, colleagues and community members across South Africa and Namibia put their hands up and offer a few hours per month to share in the mantra of the “Joy of Giving”. Details of how to volunteer are available on our website.”
What’s new this year?
“The theme is “Let’s Make Magic”, which I love because this project really is magical. It is such a privilege to see the look on these children’s faces when they open their Santa Shoebox. What is a Virtual Santa Shoebox?
“This caters mainly to supporters outside South Africa who are not able to physically make up a shoebox and get it to a drop-off point. They buy a shoebox at a cost of R450 and we make it up for them. Our virtual shoeboxes are specifically distributed in rural areas where the donor capacity is low. ”
How to participates:
•Visit https://www.santashoebox.org.za
• Register as a supporter.
• Pick a convenient drop-off point that you can reach on the specified date.
• From September 1, when pledging opens, pledge a shoebox by selecting one or more recipients by name, age and gender.
•Print your QR-coded shoebox labels.
• Decorate or fill your shoebox according to the guidelines found on the website or Facebook
page.
• Drop your shoebox at your selected drop-off point on the designated date.
For more information about the Santa Shoebox Project, contact Margie on margie@santashoebox.org.za
