Team Hope delivering over 40,000 shoeboxes to children in need this Christmas

A very impressive turnout for this year's appeal.

Team Hope will be delivering over 40,000 shoeboxes to children in need this Christmas. The charity, who have been running their annual shoebox appeal for a decade, adapted this year's Christmas Shoebox Appeal in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, switching the shoebox drive to a virtual event to ensure as many children as possible receive a gift from Ireland this year. Her supported the Team Hope appeal for the second year running in 2020, and we were absolutely delighted to see so many of our generous readers get involved. "We’ve been amazed by the support this year and the wonderful ways in which people have come together to give shoeboxes," says Team Hope CEO Peter Heaney. [caption id="attachment_515567" align="aligncenter" width="954"] This year's appeal delivered shoeboxes to children in Transnistria[/caption] "People have been so innovative and dedicated in creating Covid-safe fundraisers in their schools, businesses or with their friends," he went on. “I’d like to thank all our supporters and especially Her.ie readers who’ve helped the appeal this year. We’re so grateful for your support and the difference it will make to the thousands of children affected by poverty, who are receiving shoebox gifts as we speak, very happy this Christmas." This year's generous donations are currently being turned into shoeboxes by Team Hope’s network of local partners across Africa and Eastern Europe, to deliver straight to children affected by poverty. If you have yet to get involved in this year's Shoebox Appeal, don't worry because there's still time. The drive is running until December 23, so if you'd like to make a last minute donation and build yourself a virtual box, here's what you need to do. This year's Team Hope drive has not involved the physical filling of shoeboxes. Rather, you can fill a virtual shoebox online for €20, which will then be sent directly to a child in need. Team Hope shoeboxes should be filled with items beginning with the 4 Ws. Write: Something a child can write with, such as pens, pencils, markets, and paper Wash: Something a child can use to wash with, like soap, toothpaste, or a face cloth Wear: Something a child can wear, like a T-shirt, a scarf, a hat, or socks Wow: Something to wow a child, like a soft toy or some sweets 2020's drive will deliver shoeboxes to children in  Romania, Transnistria (Moldova), Ukraine, Kosova, Albania, Belarus, Burundi, Congo, Lesotho, Eswatini (Swaziland), Malawi, Kenya, Burkina Faso, and Rwanda. You can build your own virtual box for this year's Team Hope drive here - and thank you again for your support this year!