The Shoebox operation of 2021 has now been completed and on Friday December 3rd all boxes were delivered to Shoebox HQ in Oldham.
As you can see from the photograph of the boxes in my garage prior to loading, we have managed to contribute this year a magnificent total of 314 Shoeboxes
Club Treasurer Derek Morgan with grandaughter Ella getting busy packing their shoeboxes.
Of those 314 Shoeboxes, over 70 were provided by Sylvia Morgan and Julie Hickman, who, along with their family and friends deserve this special mention as their contributions are really significant. They clearly both put an enormous amount of effort into filling so many boxes. New member Simon Love managed to procure many items suitable for youngsters which went toward the production of 40 Shoeboxes! Thank you Simon.
My friend Peter Kay from the Bethel Christian Fellowship in West Bromwich produced an also amazing 31 boxes and cash donations of £300 enabling me to fill a further 45 boxes on their behalf. So we give many thanks to them also. They are a busy Church but always find time to help those in need.
The remaining boxes were either given by our club members or in the most, their donations were sent to Treasurer Derek so that I could be ‘shopper of the month at Poundland. When applicable gift aid was added, I had just a touch over £1,150.00 to spend.
I spoke to Nigel Danby who is one of the organisers of the Shoebox scheme to ask how things were going and whether needs were being met by the scheme. He said that if they had double their annual total of over 50,000 boxes, it wouldn’t be enough!
There really is such a need still out there.
Our 314 boxes will bring great delight to many families in Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.
So thank you-to everyone who contributed – this really is a wonderful scheme.
Mike Boyce.