The Santa Shoebox Project opens for pledging
Last year the charity was able to reach 1 million children across the country.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, we at Soweto Urban have covered the handouts of the Santa Shoe Box mainly in the Riverlea community where children lined up eagerly to receive their gifts.
Last year the charity reached 1 million children with their gifting and from September 1 Santa Shoe Box started released the latest lists of children’s names via their website.
The charity is now looking for donors in order to create the shoebox and donors are required to create a supporter profile which then allows you to have access to the children’s names, age, gender and clothing size.
Donors register for a Drop Off in their area, which takes place on specific dates in October and November, and create Shoeboxes for children living in and around their own community. The required contents of a Santa Shoebox have been chosen with the underprivileged child in mind – a toothbrush and toothpaste, a facecloth and cake of soap, a toy, sweets, school supplies and an outfit of clothing.
ALSO READ: Diepkloof SAPS police reservist and her boyfriend shot and killed in a Ford Mustang
All items must be new, unused and age-appropriate. Extra items are most welcome, as long as they all fit into a medium-sized Shoebox. The size of an adult running shoe box. Extra items could include for example a reusable shopping bag in which the child can carry their Shoebox home or a cloth mask. Shoeboxes should be cheerfully decorated, with the lid wrapped separately to the box, allowing it to be opened without damaging the decorations.
In the interests of volunteer and beneficiary safety, donors are asked to please sanitise their hands and wear a mask when packing their Shoeboxes, and to do so a minimum of 3 days prior to dropping their Shoeboxes off. Virtual Santa Shoeboxes are offered to donors unable to do their own shopping, packing and dropping off. These are made by teams of volunteers, and allocated to children living in remote areas across the country. 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.
All Santa Shoeboxes are trackable via the Santa Shoebox App which is available from Google Play and the App Store. Donors can track their Shoebox from the moment you pledge to the magical moment the child receives their very own lovingly-created Santa Shoebox. Later in the year, towards the end of October, supporters will be invited to volunteer at their local Drop Off – receiving, checking and packing Santa Shoeboxes. Drop Offs will be conducted in keeping with prevailing Covid19 regulations. For detailed information about how to pledge and how to volunteer, please visit the Santa Shoebox Project website: www.santashoebox.org.za.
Follow Us Here:
Catch the latest news by visiting our other platforms:
