Christmas in a Shoe    

The Power of Volunteering

In these tough economic times a simple idea is bringing hope and a smile to some of the Worlds poorest children.   From the UK around 1.3 million shoe boxes filled with gifts will be sent to children in need around the world.   In the Torbay and the South Hams area alone 6,843 shoe boxes decorated with Christmas paper and filled with gifts are now on their way to Romania by lorry and will arrive in good time for them to be distributed to children who are in great need in time for Christmas. For many of these children the shoe box will be the first and only Christmas present they have ever had.   The response to the Shoebox Appeal locally has once again been amazing. Operation Christmas Child has featured in this newspaper several times in recent weeks –pictures of schoolchildren with the boxes they have decorated has helped to raise the profile of what has become an annual event for a large number of schools, colleges, workplaces of all descriptions, pubs and churches.  

For the thousands of children and adults who have voluntarily decorated and filled a shoe box with practical gifts and toys there is the satisfaction of knowing that a child in real need will perhaps for the first time know that someone cares about them.

In closing the local voluntary organisers wish to thank everyone who filled a shoe box, the school and workplace organisers, local churches,, pubs and the team at Central Church Torquay who checked the boxes and packed them into cases for transport to Romania, and last but by no means least the young people and staff of The Princes Trust in Torquay for helping to load the lorry with almost 7000 shoe boxes. They were a real credit to both themselves and the Princes Trust.

Sue & John Coatham and Paul & Christine Sherriff (Local voluntary organisers for Operation Christmas Child) Christmas in a Shoe Box 2008