With Christmas fast approaching one of our team members and her daughters have been out shopping to fill a couple of shoeboxes for this year’s Rotary Shoebox appeal.
Their local Rotary district, District 1110, supports vulnerable families in Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and The Philippines ensuring children aged 1-15, many living in orphanages, receive a gift at this time of year.
Last year, contributors to District 1110’s appeal donated 26,437 shoeboxes, split across the 5 countries as follows:
- Albania 6,123 shoeboxes plus 1 carton of Teddy Bears.
- Romania 6,189 Shoeboxes plus 3 cartons of woollens for children
- Moldova 6,079 shoeboxes plus 5 cartons of knitted clothing items for children
- Montenegro 6,359 shoeboxes plus 2 cartons of woollens
- The Philippines 1,687 shoeboxes
Gifts can include:
- Entertainment – Plastic or wooden toy, jigsaw puzzle, colouring book, colouring and drawing pencils, pens, writing book, Lego, yo-yo, skipping rope, building blocks, doll, dominoes, modelling clay/plasticine, cuddly toy, stickers, playing cards, sports memorabilia, musical instrument
- Clothing – Hat, scarf, gloves, and warm fluffy socks
- Toiletries – Toothbrush and toothpaste, flannel, bar of soap, roll-on deodorant, comb/brush, hair bobbles/bands, mirror, costume jewellery, make-up, razors (age-appropriate), face/body cream
- Household – T light candles, kitchen cloths/scouring pads, soap flakes, first-aid kit
Gifts NOT to include;
Food (including sweets and chocolate), conflict-related toys e.g. toy gun/knife, battery-operated toy, matches, flammable liquids/aerosols, seeds, washing powder for automatic washing machines
Whilst you can’t wrap up the gift items individually, you can line the inner of the box with tissue paper & cover the gifts as well as decorating your shoebox.
If you don’t have a shoebox to hand you could ask a local shoe shop or pay £2 for a Rotary box
If you would like to send a gift to a vulnerable child this year please follow this link http://www.rotary-ribi.org/districts/page.php?PgID=570353&DistrictNo=1110
Alternatively, why not contact your local hospital & enquire if they are doing shoebox gifts; many do.