Did you know that the name ‘Boxing Day’ is believed to originate from the fact that boxes of collections made for the poor were distributed and opened on the day after Christmas? Many people still see Christmas as a time for giving.
Some such people are those who run the Nottingham Shoebox Appeal, which is running for its fourth year after successfully distributing over 1,400 shoeboxes filled with gifts last year. The Shoebox Appeal is run entirely by volunteers and is the creation of two local charities: Sewa Day and Communities Working Together.
Each year, a handful of volunteers come together and reach out to people far and wide, seeking donations. Local schools, both primary and secondary, and several local businesses have helped year after year, providing many wrapped boxes filled with gifts or donations.
And this year is no different! The appeal has pledged almost 1,000 shoeboxes this year to nine charities and organisations, with the shoeboxes going to men, women, and children suffering hardship for a variety of reasons. These gifts will be going to homeless people, young carers, care leavers, children on free school meals, survivors of domestic violence, and teenagers in need, among many others.
Every little bit helps, and no donation is considered too small, so The Shoebox Appeal would love your help. You may feel you want to help but don’t have the time this year, so the charity has created a GoFundMe as well as an Amazon Wish List for more people to get involved virtually – check it out here: https://linktr.ee/christmas.shoebox
The boxes will be wrapped and distributed on 7th December, and the charities are appealing for donations before then. The charities are happy to collect donations directly, or they can be dropped off at one of their many drop-off points in the city and county.
Should you want to contact the charities to get involved or for further information, you can contact them via:
Phone
07488 454 353
07758 142 396, Hetvi
Email – shoeboxappealnotts@gmail.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064421090031
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/communities_working_together
https://www.instagram.com/sewadaynotts
