Pledge a Shoebox of Love for a child or pensioner
The Shoebox of Love Programme, now in its ninth year, is an initiative of Operation Shoebox, an independent, accredited NPO which aims to make Christmas more special for those less fortunate and vulnerable members of our society.
2015’s annual Shoebox of Love drive will see a number of charity units benefit, including Masikhule-mentored ECD Centres, Bizweni School for Disabled Children, Down Syndrome SA, Cape Centre for Children and Refugee Families in Distress, Grandmothers against Poverty and AIDS, and more.
Members of the public are invited to register to ‘adopt’ a vulnerable or orphaned child between 17 August and 30 October (the deadline for drop-off is 31 October). You will be provided with the child’s name, age, gender, grade at school, their favourite colour, hobby, clothing and shoe size, and ‘likes’ enabling you to make up a customised gift for them. This gift should be packed in a cheerfully decorated shoebox before being distributed to homes and care centres in November and December.
The programme also covers vulnerable old-age pensioners at selected old age homes in the Western Cape and Gauteng. These gifts are not as personalised as those for the children. Rather, should you choose to ‘adopt’ a granny or grandpa, you will be given guidelines on how to make up a care package with up to 12 gift items to include.
For more information on how to make your pledge, visit the Shoebox of Love website.