The Christmas Shoebox Appeal is an annual campaign organised by Team Hope to ensure every child feels the joy of Christmas.
The appeal was founded in 2010 and has since delivered 2.5 million shoeboxes filled with gifts and basic necessities to children faced with poverty across 12 countries in Africa and Eastern Europe.
Team hope has over 400 drop off locations across the country, with 15 drop off points in Galway including three in Galway City Centre.
These locations include Dealz in Eyre Square, Dealz in Galway Shopping Centre, and First Stop Tyres in Liosbán Industrial Estate on the Tuam Road.
The shoeboxes are collected from these drop off points, checked by volunteers, and shipped to one of the chosen 12 countries. They are then distributed to children faced with poverty by volunteers in that region.
When creating your shoebox you can choose who you would like to create one for, whether it’s a boy or girl, from the ages of 2-4 years, 5-9 years, or 10-14 years.
With each shoebox you make, you must add five euro to the leaflet of the box to pay for the expense of delivering your gift to the child in time for Christmas.
If you can’t create a shoebox, you can donate to the appeal using this link: https://www.teamhope.ie/donate/
In relation to the ultimate shoebox gift guide, Rachel Browne the Education and Digital Communications Coordinator at Team Hope advises people to follow the “four W’s”.
These four guidelines include something to Write with, something to Wash with, something to Wear, and something to Wow.
When speaking to Galway Pulse, Rachel highlighted the importance of the four W’s, saying that “the wow is the present, the exciting part like the sweets or the little toy”.
“The write, wash, and wear are very practical and often they are the things that will have the biggest impact.”
“By sending things to write with, like simple school copy books, pens and pencils; that means a child will be able to go to school, who otherwise might not have been able to.”
In relation to the wash item, Rachel adds that even a bar of soap can have a huge impact, “we all know from covid how important soap is, and to have that hygiene level.”
To accommodate busy lifestyles, Team Hope have extended the deadline from 10 November to 15 November, to give people extra time to put some simple and inexpensive gifts in an old shoebox they have lying around.
To find out more information, you can visit https://www.teamhope.ie/christmas-shoebox-appeal/