Castletown gears up to gather Blythswood shoeboxes
People in Castletown and the surrounding communities are being encouraged to get involved with this year’s local Blythswood Shoebox Appeal.
The annual campaign sees shoeboxes filled with essentials and gifts sent to parts of the world where people are in need, including those affected by the war in Ukraine.
Christine Stone, the Blythswood Shoebox Appeal coordinator for the area, will be officially launching the local appeal on Monday. But the hard work is already well under way and donations have started to come in.
“Already, shoebox leaflets have gone to Castletown Primary School, leaflets are now available for uplift from Castletown and Community Free Church and posters have been distributed around local shops & businesses,” Mrs Stone said.
“Others have begun the job of wrapping boxes and folks have been dropping off donations, which is very encouraging for the team.
“As in previous years, wrapped, filled, labelled shoeboxes, or filled drawstring bags, can be handed in to the local community hub at Castletown and Community Free Church. This will, once again, be our single collection point for shoeboxes and gift bags, in terms of our local Castletown and communities appeal.
“Donations of knitted garments – hats, scarves, gloves, toiletries, financial donations etc., are all welcome and will be gratefully accepted. Completed bags and boxes will be sent to the Blythswood depot for onward distribution to Eastern Europe.”
Mrs Stone added that if people feel unable to donate full boxes or bags, handing in just a few items would be very much appreciated. These items can be used to help complete boxes that are missing any items.
“This year, boxes and bags from our local appeal will be going to Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine and will be gratefully received by those to whom they are given,” she said.
“Any money donations to help with the ongoing costs of shoebox transportation to Eastern Europe will also be most welcome and can be handed in to the same collection point.
“Parents/guardians can send items or filled boxes or bags to the local schools in Castletown, Bower and Crossroads, and these contributions can be uplifted by one of the team, if required.”
There are plenty of wrapped shoeboxes and drawstring bags available and these can be collected, by arrangement. They do not have to be completely filled but need only contain what people are able to manage within their circumstances. “Every little helps and is very much appreciated.”
The lorry to take the boxes will be arriving on Thursday, November 7, and will be parked outside Castletown and Community Free Church between 11.30am and 12.15pm.
The last hand-in date for shoeboxes will be the afternoon of Wednesday, November 6.
The church will be holding a Blythswood Coffee Afternoon on Saturday, October 19, from 2pm until 4pm to raise money for this year’s shoebox appeal. All donations received will be split – with some enabling items to be purchased to make up any shortfall for shoeboxes and bags, and the rest going towards the cost of transporting the shoeboxes to Eastern Europe.
More than 2.6 million boxes have been donated to people across the world since the Blythswood appeal was first launched in 1993. Each box is filled with practical items such as toiletries, stationery and clothing, and the individually-wrapped boxes have been distributed in schools, hospitals, orphanages and care homes, and to households in very low income communities.