Christmas Shoebox Appeal

Ever tried living on less than €1 a day ?
Many of the families who get your shoeboxes have no choice

They are forgotten children – victims of war, disease or poverty.  Children living on the edge, in some of the poorest countries in the world. 

Life is bleak, with little to look forward to – just hoping to have some food on the table today.  Hoping they’ll be safe tonight, and alive tomorrow. And Christmas is just another ordinary day - nothing special, no Christmas tree, no presents.  But your shoebox will bring a little hope, a lot of laughter and smiles and a practical expression of God’s love at Christmas time, for children who have very little.

No, a shoebox won’t change everything, but it will do far more than we could ever imagine, by bringing Christmas to children who have never experienced anything like it before !  And if a local leader requests it, as an optional extra, we also give a Christmas card – explaining where their box came from, about Ireland and the significance of the Christmas message.

Over the last thirteen years, we have sent an Irish Christmas shoebox gift to more than 2,600,000 children in twenty one countries.  Now, more than ever, we are receiving requests from new communities and countries – will you help us give a child their Christmas of a lifetime, this year ?

HOW DOES IT WORK ?

We ask you to fill a shoebox with a range of simple Christmas gifts, and drop it off at your local drop off point before November 12th, and we will do the rest !

We check that it meets all the customs and safety requirements, seal it and send it on its way by truck or container.  In the receiving country our network of partners will deliver it right into a child’s hands – in hospitals, schools, shelters, churches, orphanages, community centres or family homes.  When the local leader requests it, as an optional extra, we will also give a Christmas card - explaining where their box came from, a little about Ireland and the significance of the Christmas story.

YOUR SHOEBOX CAN TURN JUST ANOTHER DAY IN A CHILD’S LIFE INTO SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL, A DAY THAT THEY WILL REMEMBER FOR YEARS TO COME

  Please  drop your filled boxes to Mrs. Barry or Ms. Connell before Nov.21st.