Operation Christmas Child is urging people to fill shoeboxes with goodies for children in war-torn Syria, to help bring them a little Christmas cheer amidst their current plight.
The initiative is being launched at Shoe Zone in Stretford Mall this November for a sixth year, and they want to better their number of more than 140 boxes last year.
Just one shoebox can make a huge impact on the lives of needy children who may have lost their parents, live in poverty or face the devastation of war every day.
Ian Taylor, regional manager of the North West branch of Operation Christmas Child highlighted the difference that such a little gesture can make to individual’s lives.
He said: “To watch how excited they are when they delve in is magic. I remember a young lady in a school who was deaf and dumb.
“Her parents had both died in a road traffic accident and her grandmother, who had been looking after her, had passed away.
“She was very withdrawn and didn’t want to connect or engage with anyone.
“Somewhere in the UK, somebody had put together a shoebox full of well-thought out things in it.
“At the bottom was a bracelet and when we put it on the little girl’s wrist, within a couple of minutes, the girl started to respond and showed a real change in the way she was engaging with people.
“If only that person who put that bracelet in the shoebox knew what an impact they had made. It was the start of the healing process. This scenario is just an example of the impact that we see all of the time.”
The appeal is run by Samaritan’s Purse who have sent more than 100 million gift-packed shoeboxes to needy children around the globe over the last 25 years.
Families who take part can track where their shoebox has gone by downloading a barcode from the Samaritan’s website and sticking it to the box.
They are appealing to Christmas shoppers to take time out of their busy lives and think about these children struggling in their countries, and to fill boxes with toys, toiletries, and sweets.
And Mr Taylor highlighted how the people of Manchester should be proud of their contributions to the scheme in the past
He said: “The North West has been a really strong supporter of this project.
“It’s a real reflection of the generosity of the people who live in the North West of England that what we can reach out to these kids and let them know there are people in the UK who care.”
Deanna Beckett, Shoe Zone store manager said: “We’re really grateful for the support.
“We have nurseries coming in with 20 to 30 shoeboxes and some individuals bringing four or five themselves.”
Shoeboxes have been distributed to over 150 countries over the years and this year they are being sent to Syria.
The collection is taking place from November 1 to 18.
To find out what items can or cannot be included in the shoebox you can pick up a leaflet from the store or visit the website by clicking here.
