Every year St Francis NS families generously support a Christmas Shoebox Appeal.

For the past 3 years, the Student Council has decided to do the Shoebox Appeal with local Blackrock charity, Crosscause, run by Conor Hughes.

Crosscause’s Christmas Shoebox Appeal is a campaign that delivers gifts straight into the hands of orphans, children with disabilities and children fleeing the war in Ukraine as well as in Romania.  Often these shoebox gifts are the only gift that a child will receive at Christmas and the joy that they bring is incredible.

As in previous years, we hope that every pupil will participate by bringing in a filled and wrapped shoebox to give to children far less fortunate than any of us.

 

What to do

  1. Grab an old shoebox and fill it with useful gifts for a child (see ideas below for what to put in your shoebox)
  2. Wrap the box and label it for a boy or girl and the approx. age group the gifts are suitable for (There are preprinted labels available outside the office hatch).
  3. Drop off your filled shoebox to school by Wednesday 5th November latest. 

 

What to put in your shoebox

  • TO WRITE – Items for school – like a pen, pencil, copy book, paper, colouring book, felt pens, sharpener, eraser, solar calculator.
  • TO WASH – Some hygiene items – toothbrush and toothpaste, soap (wrapped please), facecloth, hairbrush, comb.
  • TO WEAR – Small clothing items – a hat, scarf, gloves, socks or underwear
  • TO WOW! – A treat – sunglasses, game, small Irish gift, a photo of yourself, sweets (must be in date until at least March 2023), make up, a small musical instrument, toys like a doll, a car, cuddly toy, skipping rope, yo-yo, a finger puppet.

Please don’t put in… Food (apart from sweets), chocolate, medicines of any kind, war related items, large clothing items, anything breakable, any liquids that could spill or freeze, sharp items, scary things (like Halloween stuff, or skull and crossbones or books with words).

 

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For us, it’s never just about shoeboxes — it’s about teaching kindness, showing children they matter, and proving that together we can build a more hopeful world