We would like to thank all the schools,
churches, organisations and individuals who have supported our 2007 Christmas
Shoebox programme. As a result of your support, there were thousands of
happy, smiling children at Christmas! A special thank you to all our volunteers
around the country and especially those at the warehouse in Kent who have spent
months checking,
sorting and packing the shoeboxes for their onward destination.
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SHOEBOXES FULL OF SMILES!
A shoebox full of gifts means such a
lot to the children and families – not only the presents inside but the love
that leaps out of the box, maybe unspoken but
nonetheless heard.
In many instances
this will be the only present the child has ever been given and they are greatly treasured, even the and wrappers. Every contribution makes for another happy child.
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Download Shoebox Leaflet
PDF (424
KB) |
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HOW TO
CREATE
A SHOEBOX
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Wrap a medium size adult shoebox
with colourful wrapping paper. The ideal box size is 12x7x5"
high (30x18x13cm)
which helps us pack them more efficiently.
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Cover the
lid separately, as
the boxes will be checked.
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Think of a boy or girl and their
age (no younger than 2 or older than 16 years), then buy items for that particular child. Items
from each category i.e. toys, stationery, toiletries, clothing, make for a
well-balanced box.
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Donations towards transportation costs
are much appreciated. It costs approximately £3,000 to send a 40-ton truck
to the Balkans. Donations to our work are also very much appreciated. Cheques are preferred for security reasons (made
payable to "Smile International"). Place your donation and the completed
donation form in an envelope on top of the gifts.
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Replace the lid on the
box and wrap one strong elastic band
around.
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Write an age on the colour-coded label and stick it on
the lid.
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Please do not wrap individual items.
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Do not write the country name anywhere.
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Give the box(es) to your Shoebox
Co-ordinator (see Collection Points below) or deliver to the Smile office by
END OF OCTOBER.
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SUGGESTED ITEMS
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ALL ITEMS MUST BE NEW
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Toiletries – toothbrush, toothpaste, flannel, wrapped bar of soap
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Hair care
– comb, brush, hair accessories
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Writing materials
– notebook, pens, pencils (please
include sharpener and eraser), maths set, ruler, crayons, paints and
brushes, drawing and painting book
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Clothing
– hat, scarf, gloves, socks,
mittens, pants/knickers
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Small toys
– doll, car, skipping rope,
ball, musical instrument, soft cuddly toy, puzzle, game, balloons for 13+ years
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WHAT NOT TO PUT
IN
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Chocolate, sweets or food items
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Second-hand or used items
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English reading books
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Makeup
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Glass, mirrors, ceramic or other
breakables
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Guns, knives, military or monster/scary toys
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Battery-operated items
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Medicines or drugs of any kind
WHAT HAPPENS
TO MY BOX?
The boxes will go to children in
villages, schools, orphanages, refugee centres and Roma camps in the countries where we work –
Balkans, Africa and
Asia.
Shoeboxes are distributed according
to need, regardless of nationality, political background or religious belief.
No literature is added to the shoeboxes.
SPONSOR A SHOEBOX
We are delighted with the response we receive each year to
our Christmas Shoebox project and our thanks to everyone who contributes to this
project, whether it is filling a shoebox or through a donation.
However, with rising transportation costs and import
tax, transporting shoeboxes can be an expensive undertaking. In consideration of this, we are
now offering you a choice – either fill a shoebox as usual or Sponsor a shoebox!
today's busy schedules often mean people don't always have the time to go
shopping to buy the items that go into a shoebox, but nevertheless, would still
like to d something to help children who have nothing at Christmas.
If you would like to Sponsor a Shoebox, please donate
£5, £10, £15, £20
or more to our Sponsor a Shoebox project, and our partner organisations in Africa
and Asia will use the money to purchase the items locally and put them into
suitable boxes or baskets accordingly. This means that no transportation or
import taxes are incurred and we can provide employment for a local person in
each country to make up the boxes or baskets for the children.
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Sorting and packing
Packing books and filling out with soft toys
Shoeboxes awaiting sorting
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HOW CAN I GET
INVOLVED?
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Volunteer to
check and sort
boxes, either in your area or at the Smile office in Kent.
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Make up a shoebox of
your own or encourage others in your church or organisation to make up
boxes.
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Become a
Shoebox Co-ordinator
in your area.
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Collect or knit
items to help us fill out spaces – hats, gloves, scarves, mini teddies/toys.
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Become a
collection point
for the boxes or
transport them to
Smile.
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Help
load
the truck or make a donation towards transport costs. Credit or debit card
donations can be made by telephoning the Smile Office.
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Join a
Smile ministry team
and help distribute aid and shoeboxes – brochure available from the Smile
office or as downloads on our Ministry Trips and
Gap Years pages.
 
Smile School and Gap Year
Coordinator Anna Rogers at Dulverton School, New Eltham – with head teacher
Elaine Chapman
If you would like someone to
speak at your school assembly or club, please contact us to make arrangements.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
If you would
like to become a Shoebox Co-ordinator
or be a Shoebox Collection Point
in your area, we would love to hear from you - please contact the Smile office.
We also welcome Volunteers
to help sort and pack shoeboxes.
Distribution in Uganda and India
The information below is available
in our Shoebox Leaflet. Please feel free
to photocopy the shoebox leaflet or print from the PDF.
Due to rising postal costs, we are unable to
acknowledge every gift individually. If you require an acknowledgement, please
enclose an SAE with your gift. Thank
you for helping us to maximise the amount of available funds that we can use
directly on our projects to help those in most need.
We would like to express our thanks to Chris Brown of
Quantum House, Orpington, for the generous loan of warehouse space over the
shoebox period 2007
LABELS
Colour-coded labels are great
help and time-saver when the aid is distributed. Please click on the thumbnails
below to open the full size picture, which may then be saved and printed or
photocopied (approximate label size 2"x4", 5x10cm). The white labels are for reproducing
on coloured paper.
OTHER POINTS
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Contact the Smile
office for details of Collection Points in your area or for more leaflets.
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Smile International
reserves the right to remove any items they consider unsuitable and use them for
the benefit of the charity.
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On completion of the shoebox project, any
remaining contributions will be used for the ongoing work of Smile
International.
On behalf of the children, thank
you for your support |
