By Lebone Rodah Mosima
The Santa Shoebox Project is calling for volunteers to help deliver gifts to vulnerable children as it marks its 20th anniversary.
The award-winning charity has delivered more than 1.35 million Santa Shoeboxes to underprivileged and socially vulnerable children over the past two decades, each containing eight specified items of treats, essentials and other goodies. Sponsorship and Regional Manager for the project in Gauteng, Margie Kostelac, said they are specifically seeking volunteers to join from all provinces.
“The work is a lot of fun and very fulfilling — our long-time volunteers have many beautiful stories to tell,” Kostelac said.
The organisation said that every year, people from all over South Africa volunteer as Santa’s helpers and offer a few hours of their time to ensure that more than 75 000 children experience the magic, joy, and dignity it provides.
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Its website portal opens for corporate pledges on 1 August and for individual pledges on 1 September, with volunteers in each region collecting the packed, decorated, and labelled boxes on specific dates.
Boxes undergo quality checks and are then liaised with schools, Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, and other registered beneficiaries in communities to arrange the handovers of personalised boxes.
CEO of the Santa Shoebox Project, Deb Zelezniak, said the support of volunteers, donors, and sponsors countrywide over the past two decades had created countless moments of joy.
“Giving to a child might seem like a small act of generosity to the giver, but it can make a big difference to a child’s life, and many children treasure their letters and gifts into adulthood,” Zelezniak said.
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Beyond gifting, the Santa Shoebox Project also channels financial donations from companies and individuals to upgrade and build ECD centres, train teachers, and install reading corners in under-resourced ECD centres.
