Crossgar community donates shoeboxes to children in need

Crossgar community donates shoeboxes to children in need

8 December 2021

THE big-hearted Crossgar community has rallied around again by sending an amazing 225 shoeboxes to children in need this Christmas.

The effort exactly matched last year’s number of boxes, which ended up being sent to Albania.

For the third year in a row, the annual appeal was kindly hosted by Josephine Brennan King and her husband Carl King at Idanceirish Ltd at the village’s square.

The Crossgar community has provided enough Christmas presents to cater for an entire school of kids between the ages of 2-14. Some shoeboxes were also bought and packed online.

The quality of items in the shoeboxes this year was very high, with an estimated value of around £8,000 worth of gifts and donations inside all the boxes. 

Most people also included a personal and unopened letter and photo about their family and life in Crossgar, which the children will enjoy reading too.

Local shoeboxes were sent to a refugee camp in the Middle East the year before.

After being processed in Mallusk, along with 23,275 other shoeboxes from Northern Ireland, the local shoeboxes are now on their way to England where they will then be sent on to their chosen destination in time for Christmas.

Anyone who signed up for notifications with Operation Christmas Child UK will find out in February where their shoebox was sent.