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GRAAFF-REINET NEWS — A grand total of 118 children have been blessed so far this year with a Santa's Shoebox, and the delight on the recipients' faces has been more than enough reward for all the hard work put in by organiser Kitty Viljoen and her team.
Initially, Kitty became involved in the project when she applied for Khanyisa Day Care Centre in Umasizakhe to be a beneficiary of the scheme. She helps out one or two days a week at the centre, which caters for disabled children and adults as well as running a crèche. When she was told that it would not be possible to help Khanyisa as there was nobody in the area organising shoeboxes, she promptly volunteered her services to establish a distribution centre in Graaff-Reinet. Since then, many other requests have been received from this area.
Kitty inspired a group of her friends to join her in the project, and all involved have been caught up in her enthusiasm and commitment. Members of the community willing signed up to put together boxes for underprivileged children, which contained stationery, toiletries, an outfit, sweets and an age-appropriate toy.
The donor is linked to a specific child, being given their first name, age and clothing size. Not only were the gifts thoughtfully chosen, but many donors went to a great deal of trouble to make the shoebox itself an attractive part of the gift. One child received a box made up to look like a frog, and another little girl was thrilled with her 'fairy house' box!
The criteria for an organisation to be considered as a recipient are necessarily strict, and priority is given to those who do not normally benefit from other sources.
There are a few rules governing the contents of the boxes: no guns or other toys of violence, and nothing second hand. The boxes themselves should also be able to be reused by the child. The organisers check the contents of the boxes, and a few second-hand items had to be substituted this year, but the vast majority of reflected the generosity and creativity of the donors.
Kitty explained to the Advertiser that they are not allowed to give any details of the organisations that have benefitted from the gifts, nor identify any of the individual recipients by name. She was able to confirm that children in Graaff-Reinet had benefitted, as well as in Pearston. She was thrilled with the support of so many in the community, including those who baked cupcakes and slab cakes for the children, and donated cooldrinks.
It is hoped that next year even more people will be motivated to contribute- as Kitty explained, those who cannot afford to put together a box on their own can get together with friends to make up a box. She is hoping to get local schools involved, perhaps by a class sponsoring a few less fortunate children of the same age. She is also planning to start approaching businesses and individuals for sponsorship earlier in the year next time and would love to see the project grow.
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