Pledging season is officially open for the Santa Shoebox Project. This year the children’s charity is celebrating its 20th birthday.

To celebrate this milestone, the project has set the goal of delivering shoeboxes to 84 663 children in need across South Africa.

“The Santa Shoebox Project is made up of more than a million and a half beautiful chapters of giving and receiving joy since 2006. With 70 drop-off points around the country, in every single province, and thousands of volunteers and donors making the magic happen, we are truly grateful for the collective impact of our incredible community,” says Santa Shoebox Project chief executive officer Deb Zelezniak.

For children who are not used to much, the first surprise is often that the entire gift belongs to them. The shoebox they receive is beautifully decorated, their name is on the label, the new set of clothes is their size, and the toy and stationery is chosen for their life stage right now. Everything is new and hand-picked just for them.

A pledge is a promise

Each year, team pledges start on 1 August and individual pledges on 1 September, when lists of names go live on the Santa Shoebox website and everyone gets to choose a specific child. In October and November, local volunteers receive the boxes at designated drop-off points, where they are inspected for safety and sorted. The handover events take place at schools and care facilities in November and December.

“A pledge is a promise made to a specific child,” says Zelezniak.

“When someone chooses a child by name, age and gender, they aren’t just shopping for supplies. They are creating an experience where a child in their community, whom they’ve never met, feels important and loved. The children carry that feeling in their hearts, and many, once they are grown up, pay it forward to another child.”

ALSO READ: Santa Shoebox hopes to reach 75 000 children in its 20th year

Every Santa Shoebox contains eight specified items that perform a vital role in a child’s life: soap, a washcloth, toothpaste and a toothbrush protect health and dignity; new clothes fit the child receiving them, fostering pride and self-esteem; educational supplies for their specific age help them participate in school; a toy and sweets honour the part of childhood that simply deserves delight.

The project has reached more than 1.5 million children since 2006. It has also just finished its eighth school, built in Maruping Village, Northern Cape this year. It plans to build many more rural schools in the coming decade and welcomes donations towards this cause.

• In the Northern Cape, there is a drop-off point at the Kimberley TD Church.
• Visit santashoebox.org.za to find out how to pledge a shoebox.