The time is here to pack Santa Shoeboxes

The

Santa Shoebox Project is reaching the business end of its operations this year, as teams all around the country are readying themselves for their designated drop-off days. Things are no different in Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Sedgefield, with all three towns playing host to a drop-off event in the coming weeks.

Now in its comingof-age year, the Santa Shoebox Project turns 18 in 2023 and has helped benefit more than one million underprivileged children since its inception in Cape Town in 2006. The local Santa Shoebox drives have been around for a good while too, with thousands of local schoolchildren helped over the years.

The drives in Knysna, Plett and Sedgefield are aiming high this year too and have made steady progress in canvassing people to pledge shoeboxes. Knysna's target is 300 shoeboxes, Sedgefield's is 255 and Plett's ambition is to collect 1 400 Santa Shoeboxes.

But, while they have all made good progress thus far, they still require help to go

the distance and reach their targets, which is where the public comes in.

What is a Santa Shoebox?

For those unfamiliar with the concept, in a general shoebox the minimum eight required items are a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, a wash cloth, sweets, a toy, school supplies and a piece of clothing – all new, unused and ageappropriate. While some areas have drop-off centres where you can drop off shoeboxes any day, any time (such as Mossel Bay), there are no such centres between Plett, Knysna and Sedgefield.

Instead, campaigners here opt for designated drop-off days. How this works is you need to call in to the local coordinator and pledge your shoebox, giving them an indication that you will be bringing yours in on the designated drop-off day. Then on the day you drop off the shoebox that you have packed, a team of volunteers screens the boxes to make sure everything needed is there, and they then ready it to be donated to a child in need.

How, when and where?

The initiatives in Plett, Knysna and Sedgefield all have their own deadlines for pledges and different drop-off days. Knysna is the first on the list, with the drop-off day next Monday, 30 October. You can pledge your shoebox up until the 30th. In Sedgefield there are two drop-off days, 3 and 4 November. The deadline days for pledges

here are 2 and 3 November, depending on the day you aim to drop yours off. Finally, Plett's drop-off day will be 4 November and its pledge deadline is 2 November.

Knysna’s Santa Shoebox coordinator Liezel Brazier and her team drop off shoeboxes at a pre-school during last year’s campaign. From left: Brazier, Trudy Rasipone, Jacqueline Cumberlege and Deliwe Mwadlanyana. Front left is Angelique Brazier, Knysna Montessori learner.

Liezel Brazier and Jacqueline Cumberledge with some very happy recipients of last year’s Santa Shoeboxes.