It's About Time!

The Santa Shoebox Project is officially a “tween”! At 12-years old, South Africa’s best loved children’s charity has touched the lives of 762 594 underprivileged children throughout South Africa and Namibia. When a donor pledges a Santa Shoebox, they promise a child the gift of self-worth and fulfilled potential. These are so much more than “just” a shoebox; each donor fills a decorated shoebox with 8 required items – a toothbrush and toothpaste, soap and a facecloth, school supplies, a toy, sweets and an outfit of clothing. This year, for the first time in the Project’s history, pledging will open a full month earlier than before – on 01 August. From this date, donors are able to select children who live in their area, thus supporting their own larger community. Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the Project, Irené Pieters, says, “This Project has a life of its own! Every year brings change. We’ve heard our supporters – sponsors, beneficiaries and volunteers alike – and in response have given them the gift of time, by taking some of the rush out of the end of the year.” One year into our March To A Million, TIME is of the essence! Time is marching on and there’s no time like the present to become involved. To ensure you receive campaign updates, and are kept informed of milestones and deadlines, please like the Santa Shoebox Project’s Facebook page /SantaShoebox and login to the website to register or update your supporter profile www.santashoebox.org.za This year, the Project hopes to take another massive leap towards the magic million, and receive 115 000 lovingly created Shoeboxes. 4 000 Virtual Santa Shoeboxes will also be on offer, enabling busy donors or those who live far from Drop Off points to select the contents of a personalized Shoebox, which will be packed by Santa Shoebox volunteers. A generic option will also be available, which the Project is able to allocate to children living in remote rural areas, who would otherwise not receive a Shoebox. The public is asked to participate in the Santa Shoebox Project now by visiting www.santashoebox.org.za to register as a supporter. From 01 August donors will be able to choose the child/ren for whom they wish to pledge a Shoebox. The decorated Santa Shoeboxes need to be dropped off at central distribution points across the country on designated dates in September and October. A list of these can be found here: http://santashoebox.org.za/find-my-local-dropoff/ The following items are required to complete a Santa Shoebox: 
 1. Standard sized shoebox or plastic container, colourfully decorated, with the lid wrapped separately 2. QR coded label, which the donor will receive upon pledging online 3. Toothbrush 4. Toothpaste 5. Facecloth 6. Soap 7. Toy 8. Outfit of clothing 9. School supplies 10. Sweets Please note that all items must be new, unused and age-appropriate Fiduciary information: As a Level One Contributor to B-BBEE, the Santa Shoebox Project earns 100 points on the generic scorecard, and with Section 18A status, is able to provide a tax-deductible receipt in recognition of donations. The Project is an initiative of the JOG Trust (IT2671/2009). The Trust is registered as a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO-930031301), and a Non Profit Organisation (NPO 102-098). The Santa Shoebox Project is audited by PwC.