The pupils of Summerhill also participated in the Santa Shoebox project and pledged 30 boxes. The kids decorated them by painting, drawing and pasting while others added a special touch with a hand-made card. Guin Jandrell, a talented resident, helped the children by creating little dresses to put in the boxes.
The Santa Shoebox is a national project that originated in Cape Town. It grew from 180 boxes in 2006 to 118 274 last year. These are distributed to more than 1 000 facilities through 62 satellite projects across South Africa and Namibia. This year a virtual box option was introduced, allowing international and out-of-town donors to support the initiative by buying a virtual box via the Santa Shoebox website. A network of volunteers run satellite projects in different areas, where the boxes are collected and then distributed to the needy kids.
Decorating and filling the boxes with the required items is a fun activity for children and parents to enjoy together. Items include toothpaste and a toothbrush, a bar of soap and wash cloth, a casual outfit, stationery and colouring books, sweets and toys like building blocks, trucks, dolls, finger puppets and tennis balls.
This year, proudly South African rain ponchos could also be donated to be distributed to children who live in high winter-rainfall areas to keep them dry, healthy and in school.
To donate a shoebox full of goodies, register at www.santashoebox.co.za and drop the gift-wrapped shoebox off at Manna Christian Fellowship in Rocky Drift on the R40, near White River.
