WITH over 30,000 gift-filled shoeboxes being sent to communities stricken by poverty, the volunteers behind the Operation Christmas Child have given their thanks to everybody who did their bit for the appeal this year.
Four lorries containing thousands of shoeboxes have been loaded from the Operation Christmas Child depot in Bowerhill, Melksham, destined for Belarus, Liberia, Serbia and Ukraine.
The appeal asks people to donate a box filled with toys, paper, toothbrushes, sweets, gloves and other items, which are then sent off to deprived children around the world.
Westbury has done its bit to help spread Christmas cheer, with Chantry TV collecting some 250 shoeboxes – an increase on last year’s total – from schools, groups, and individuals in and around the town. There are around 200 people on the books who volunteer at the Bowerhill warehouse in the lead up to Christmas, to spend time putting the finishing touches to thousands of shoeboxes donated by people across Wiltshire and the surrounding area.
Local volunteers also work hard throughout the year to put a smile on the faces of young children in poverty-stricken countries.
Bev Viveash, a member of the appeal’s regional coordinating team said, “The response has been great this year. All the volunteers have done so well. A massive thank you to everyone who volunteered, knitted clothes for the shoe boxes, and the drop off points across the county. It’s been brilliant.”
Volunteer Bev will be visiting Ukraine to see the children receive their gifts in January. She said, “A team of nine of us will visit the country to hand out shoeboxes in schools and orphanages.
“Road conditions in Ukraine are not the same here. Lorries drop off their cargo and our partners over seas will continue the journey. Some bring trailers or pushbikes, but there are those who bring horses with sleighs – to keep in with the Christmas theme.”
