Generous Gazette readers donate presents to children living in poverty (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Generous Gazette readers donate presents to children living in poverty
11:00am Tuesday 30th October 2012 in Local By Emily Roberts, Chief Reporter
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Gazette receptionist Anne Murphy with some of the shoeboxes
THE spirit of Christmas has shown itself early in Basingstoke this year after dozens of generous Gazette readers donated presents to children living in poverty and hardship.
The Gazette was one of the local drop-off points for The Rotary Club of Basingstoke Deane’s Christmas shoebox campaign, in which people fill a shoebox with gifts that are then delivered to children in countries including Montenegro, Albania, Moldova, the Philippines and Tanzania.
About 100 boxes were delivered by generous local people to our offices in Pelton Road, and these will join hundreds of others donated across the borough, including 140 given by Sherfield School in Sherfield-on-Loddon.
Rotarians sort through all the boxes to check the contents are suitable, before they are taken to Southampton docks.
There they will join other Christmas boxes collected by other Rotary clubs, and together they will be shipped by boat – reaching the children just in time for Christmas.
Brian Whindle, a member of The Rotary Club of Basingstoke Deane, said: “These children will receive something they wouldn’t otherwise expect, and it’s a great surprise for them.
“They will be given both useful and fun things like flannels, clothes and toys.
“As ever, we would like to thank all the people in the Basingstoke area for their continued help and support. This is an example of us trying to help youngsters who wouldn’t otherwise be given a gift at Christmas.”
