The 2022 Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal aims to deliver as many gift-filled shoeboxes as possible to children, for whom poverty is their every-day reality, and make smiles happen. And they need your help.
Team Hope is calling on parents, children, teachers, families and communities in Westmeath to build-a-box at home or online to help them reach their goal of 200,000 shoeboxes this year – remember, that’s smiles on 200,000 children’s faces in 13 countries across Africa and Eastern Europe.
“For the children who receive these shoeboxes at Christmas, it’s wonderful for them to know that people across Ireland are thinking of them and have taken time out to send joy and hope to them. We’ve always had such brilliant support from schools, families and communities from all over Westmeath and we’re hoping to see the same fantastic response to the Shoebox Appeal again in 2022,” Westmeath contact, Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal Manager Jonathan Douglas, said.
It has never been easier to build a shoebox. All you have to do is find an empty shoebox, wrap it in Christmas paper and fill it with gifts for a boy or girl aged between 2 and 14, give online or attach a €4 donation and bring it to a local drop off point before the deadline of Tuesday November 8th – or you can build-a-box online by donating at www.teamhope.ie One of Team Hope’s local partners will build a box on your behalf on-the-ground and make sure it goes where it’s needed most.
When considering the best items to gift, think of the 4W’s: Wear – Gloves, Hat, Scarf, Socks, Top, Underwear
Wash – Comb, Soap, Sponge, Toothbrush & Toothpaste, Washcloth
Write – Colouring Pencils, Notepad, Writing accessories
Wow – Think of items like musical instruments, puzzles, a ball, a skipping rope, a soft toy or a toy car
Team Hope Shoebox Week runs this year from October 31st to November 6th and to get involved you’ll find plenty of inspiration on gifts to include, or not, in your shoebox, how to donate and where to drop off your shoebox at www.teamhope.ie You can also drop your shoebox off at any Dealz store nationwide. For teachers, there are also lots of class lessons and teaching resources available online.
There are so many benefits to the Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal. It is so important for the child who receives it, both for the joy the physical gifts bring and for them to know that people are thinking about them. There are also benefits for the child that donates.
Team Hope CEO Peter Heaney said, “I’ve seen and heard first-hand the impact that receiving a shoebox can have. A gift of simple things, such as stationery or clothes, can help children in their schooling in countries where these items are difficult for some people to afford. But more than that, receiving a shoebox helps children experience some of that intangible joy that childhood is all about. Families, schools and communities across Ireland have always been so brilliant at getting behind our Appeal and ensuring we get Christmas Shoeboxes to those children who really need them. This year, the need is greater than ever and we appreciate everyone who takes part in the Appeal and can assure them that their donation will bring a smile to a child facing poverty.”
