Volunteer

What’s a shoe box once it can no longer be used for shoes? The answer is — a nice care package for someone who living in a homeless shelter.

Many years ago, while working with teens at my church, among many of the community projects that were done over the course of a school year was one we called the “race-track” ministry. And no, it had nothing to do with horses or racetracks but rather empty shoe boxes that had once carried sneakers. Since the all-time favorite shoe of most teens was and is sneakers, this name caught on right away.

As a part of the project, each young person was asked to bring in the boxes from a recently-purchased sneakers, and, then they were allowed to create whatever art design to their shoe boxes based upon their ability.

These decorated shoe boxes were then filled with all kinds of useful items such as travel soaps, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream, feminine personal items, etc. Once filled, a personal note or card was added to each box; minus any personal information from the recipient and delivered to local homeless shelters.

This month’s feature for this section will be to provide you with ideas on how you and your children can do something similar for those who are in need.

These are just a few ideas to get you started:

  1. Identify a local shelter to donate your “shoe-box” care package to
  2. Make a list of items that you think are essentials and to that add other items like granola bars dried mini fruit packets and other non-perishable mini food items.
  3. Check dollar stores for useful items such as tube socks and gloves and add to the shoe-box
  4. Include a paperback book for reading
  5. Ask other family members outside of your home to join in the giving or head up an effort for the kids in your neighborhood
  6. If possible, donate a $5.00 gift card to a local coffee shop
  7. Include a birthday card with a note to open only on their birthday
  8. Ask family members, neighbors or friends who travel to bring home toiletries that are unused from the hotel stays and include these in your shoe-boxes
  9. Feel the love...and it does feel good when you give to others

Until next time, remember to always GIVE!