Bring a smile to a child’s face this festive season
JOBURG – Help bring a smile to a child's face this upcoming festive season. Here's how...
One of South Africa’s best-loved charities, the Santa Shoebox Project is now in its 11th year and is hoping to reach 1 million underprivileged children by 2019.
The project collects and distributes gifts at Christmas time to underprivileged children throughout South Africa and Namibia. Shoe boxes filled with gifts are distributed to more than 1 000 recipient facilities. Donors give gifts to children whose names, ages and genders are revealed to them so that they can select an appropriate gift.
This year, they hope to reach 110 000 children and collect even more next year and in 2019.
People are encouraged to log onto www.santashoebox.org.za to pledge a box, where they will register online to either fill a box themselves or buy a virtual box. Donors will receive the name, age and gender of the child so they can select an appropriate gift. They are obliged to decorate a shoe box and fill it with a toothbrush, toothpaste, facecloth, soap, a toy, clothing, school supplies and sweets. All items included must be new.
The drop-off point nearest to Sandton will be held at Stor-Age in Randburg between 2 and 4 November.
Chief executive officer and founder of the project, Irené Pieters said, “To have the magic million in sight is truly awe-inspiring. When we collected 160 shoe boxes in a friend’s garage back in 2006, not in our wildest dreams did we envisage marching to a million.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our stakeholders over the last 10 years for supporting us in so many, very generous ways. We literally could not have achieved this without you.”
The excitement will build until the millionth pledge is made for the millionth child and the millionth shoe box is delivered by a donor to one of more than 50 drop-off points around the country and eventually handed to the child.
Details: www.santashoebox.org.za
