PEOPLE across Ayrshire are being urged to support a long-running scheme which will offer hope to people in war-torn Ukraine and other stricken countries across Eastern Europe.
Church volunteers are making up festive gift boxes at Irvine's Fullarton Connexions as part of the annual Ayrshire Christmas Shoebox Appeal for Blythswood Care.
The Irvine church will coordinate deliveries from churches across Ayrshire to Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine.
The shoe boxes are packed with warm clothing and toiletries, as well as gifts which can help bring a smile to people’s faces. They will also include Bible stories.
The Shoebox Appeal will start on Monday, November 3 and concludes on Saturday, November 22 to help ensure the gifts reach people by Christmas.
Co-organiser Candace Turner said: “When you see the situation these people are living in and sometimes you know you can make a difference.
“A few years ago I went out to Romania and we did a mother and baby programme and every mother got a baby bath, a bar of soap and two changes of clothes for each of their children.
“The impact they found it had on the village as was lot of kids were not allowed to attend school because they were dirty, the mums got baby baths which they used to wash clothes and the children had clean clothes and got into school and could learn to read and write and that changes a village.
“A bar of soap can literally change lives. We sent 7000 shoeboxes out last year and hope to do that again this year.”
Volunteers are welcome to help out at the packing sessions.
For more details see the Ayrshire Christmas Shoebox Appeal Facebook page.
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