The Santa Shoebox Project Celebrates Mandela Day
It may only be July, but the Christmas spirit of giving is already building as the Santa Shoebox Project prepares for Mandela Day on July 18.
Each year, the Santa Shoebox Project collects and distributes gifts for underprivileged children throughout South Africa and Namibia, and in 13 years the project has reached over 850 000 children. The project is the perfect opportunity for members of the public to share the joy of Christmas with children who otherwise would not be able to.
This year they are kicking off the project early by hosting a shoebox packing day at Canal Walk on Mandela Day, where volunteers will dedicate their 67 minutes to the project. The packing of shoeboxes during Mandela Day is a prelude to September 1, when pledging officially opens and South Africans across the country begin packing their own shoeboxes.
Stor-Age is excited to once again be partnering with the Santa Shoebox Project as a main sponsor for 2019. For the past eight years we have worked alongside the project where the public can collect a free shoebox from any Stor-Age store nationwide, and return it once they have filled it with their items. We then assist the project organisers to ensure that all the shoeboxes delivered to us are distributed to underprivileged children across South Africa.
“We are excited to once again be partnering with this special initiative to help make a difference for children in communities across South Africa,” says Chris Oosthuizen, spokesperson for Stor-Age. “We’ve worked hard with the Santa Shoebox team to make it as simple as possible for the public to become involved so that this year we can make an even greater difference to underprivileged children throughout the country.”
The list of items that are required within each Santa Shoebox are:
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Soap
- Washcloth
- An outfit of clothing
- Educational supplies
- Sweets
- A toy
All other information about pledging can be found on the Santa Shoebox website. Once you have pledged (from September 1), find your nearest Stor-Age store here to collect your free box.
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