Just shy of 83,000 shoe boxes have been delivered in eight countries as part of Blythswood Care’s 2021 shoe box appeal.
The effort, which began in the Highlands in 1993, delivered 300 boxes to the Romanian city of Cluj in its first year.
All of 2021’s boxes were delivered in the eastern European countries by December 24.
Each year, kind donors fill boxes with small practical items such as toiletries, stationery and clothing.
They are then checked before being loaded onto lorries and distributed to schools, hospitals, orphanages, care homes and in households with very low income.
This year they were again distributed in Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine.
A tremendous effort
Blythswood’s head of projects Finlay Mackenzie said: “It has been another tremendous effort by donors and volunteers.
“We received boxes from Shetland to Cornwall and from Kent to Northern Ireland.
“Because it’s not so easy to send boxes to European Union countries, we sent more than previously to Kosovo, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine.”
The last load of boxes arrived in Ukraine on Christmas Eve ahead of their orthodox celebration on January 6.
‘It has been a real logistical challenge’
Finlay added: “I’m glad we completed the process before the omicron wave arrived.
“It has been a real logistical challenge but those who organise sorting stations were building on experience from last year.”
This year’s total of 82,952 boxes beat last year’s by over 7,000.
The total since the appeal began in 1993 now stands at 2.56 million.
“These gifts mean so much to those who receive them,” Finlay concluded.
“I’d just like to thank everyone who donated and volunteered.”
More on the Blythswood Shoe Box appeal here:
