Christmas Shoe Box Appeal 2018

October 5, 2018

PJH are pleased to support the Rotary Club Christmas Shoebox appeal again this year.

Although Christmas still seems a long time away, now is the time of year our thoughts turn again to the gift of Christmas Shoe Boxes. Over the last few years the people of Overton have given very generous support to this Appeal and have donated hundreds of boxes to this caring, humanitarian cause. Last year over 20,000 boxes were collected by the Rotary movement in Hampshire alone and distributed by members of Rotary.

This Christmas Rotary will be collecting and transporting Christmas shoe boxes for children who live in the mountains and very poor regions of Montenegro, Albania, Romania and Moldova. You are invited to make up and donate shoeboxes, which will bring joy and delight to these children who have virtually nothing.

If you would like to make up a box here are some helpful suggestions:

Choose the sex and age range for the child you would like to receive your box.
The age ranges for boxes are: 1- 3 years, 4 – 7 years, 8 -11 years, 12 – 15 years.
Please ensure that all items included are new or ‘as new’.

Last year there was a great shortage of boxes for children in the older age groups.

Suggested items you might include:

Learning toys, mosaics, Lego, games, balls, jigsaws, modelling clay, sticky tape, coloured paper, skipping ropes, playing cards, dominoes, chess sets and clothing such as socks, gloves, pants, tights, hats, scarves.

Depending on the age you select you may like to include items for use at school, e.g. ball point pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, paper, colouring pencils, solar powered calculators, geometry sets.

Soap, combs, face cloths, hand cream, talc, football memorabilia of famous teams, sports magazines, books, especially paper-back English Classics.

Please do not include: 

• Battery powered items
• War related items, toy soldiers, books, guns, knives etc
• Large items of clothing or shoes
• Books of a religious, racial or political nature
• Food, sweets or liquid of any kind
• Medicines
• Large toys
• Sharp items or anything breakable

While you are making up your box think of the delight on the face of ‘your child’ when they open their box that you have sent to them.

Please cover your box and lid separately with decorative paper and secure the lid with strong elastic bands (the boxes need to be opened easily as they may be inspected by Customs). Put a sticky label on the outside of your box and indicate the sex and age range you have chosen.

Please donate £1 per box to help to cover the cost of transportation costs and attach the coin to the outside of the lid.

The maximum size for the shoe boxes is 13” x 8” x 6”

Completed boxes should be delivered by 5:00pm on Tuesday 30^th October  please to Parnell Jordy & Harvey, 5 Winchester Street, Overton RG25 3HR.

If you would like to contribute to this cause but you are unable to fill a complete box, donations of any of the items above would be very welcome because they can be used to make up extra boxes. These donations can be taken direct to the collection points listed above.

From the Rotary Website :

The gift of a shoe box that contains toys, toiletries, educational items or household goods is a drop of happiness to the people of Eastern Europe who live in a world of poverty. For many, it will be the first present that they have ever received and it lets them know that somebody, somewhere cares.  If you would like to take part, we would love to hear from you.