This year, one of South Africa’s most beloved children’s organisations, the Santa Shoebox Project, celebrates its 20th birthday – and it is looking for volunteers to help it share the joy in their local communities during this special year of celebration.

“We are specifically looking for volunteers to join our dedicated on-the-ground teams in Welkom and Bloemfontein in the Free State, East Rand and Vaal in Gauteng, Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, and Umhlanga, Pinetown and Richards Bay/Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal. The work is a lot of fun and very fulfilling – our long-time volunteers have many beautiful stories to tell,” says Margie Kostelac, sponsorship and regional manager for the Santa Shoebox Project in Gauteng.

This year, as the award-winning organisation celebrates its milestone birthday, volunteers will have the chance to get involved in celebrations and campaigns to mark the momentous occasion.

Essentially, the task is to bring festive cheer to children in need. Every year, warm-hearted people from all over South Africa volunteer as Santa’s helpers and offer a few hours of their time to see to ensure more than 75 000 children experience the magic, joy and dignity that a Santa Shoebox provides.

Once the website opens for pledges every year – to corporates on 1 August and individuals on 1 September – volunteers in each region collect the packed, decorated and labelled boxes on specific dates.

They also quality-check each box and liaise with schools, early childhood development (ECD) centres and other registered beneficiaries in their communities to arrange the joy-filled handovers of personalised boxes to every child on Santa’s list.

“The support of our magnificent volunteers, donors and sponsors countrywide over these past two decades has created countless moments of sheer joy,” says Deb Zelezniak, CEO of the Santa Shoebox Project.

“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.”