Wexford grandmother fills 1,000 shoebox gifts for charity drive

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

A grandmother who created 1,000 Christmas shoebox gifts for children living in poverty is hoping her efforts can push a charity’s total present haul over the three-million mark.

Team Hope has so far delivered 2.8 million shoebox gifts packed by Irish families for children in Africa and eastern Europe – and aims to cross the milestone to mark its 15th anniversary.

In the run-up to Halloween, Wexford woman Maureen O’Hanlon is putting the final touches to this year’s batch of 100 festive boxes.

In the last decade, she has put together 1,000 shoeboxes – and has some extra help this year in the form of her six-year-old grand-daughter Anna.

“She lives just beside me and calls it Santa’s workshop because I start for the following year as soon as the shoebox gifts have been sent away,” said Maureen from her home in Campile, outside New Ross.

The retired teacher tightly packs each box with items she gathers in the January sales and throughout the year, making sure each one has copy books, colouring pencils, pens and sweets.

Her local Lidl supermarket in New Ross supplies her with packets of sweets for each box every year.

Some neighbours and friends, as well as her son Michael and partner John Monahan, are also involved in the massive effort, which involves not only gathering and packing the items, but transporting the finished boxes to Team Hope’s Wexford depot.

“I think of the children all the time and I try to make sure that no child will be disappointed when they open their box,” said Ms O’Hanlon, who began making shoeboxes with pupils during her time at Rathgarogue National School and, later, Scoil Mhuire, Horeswood.

“The attic is chaotic. On one side I have all the shoeboxes – I have 65 already filled – and on the other I have plastic storage containers with all the items from flip flops to knitted hats and T-shirts.

“I’m very lucky. I’ve lived a very privileged life and I have the time. Why not use it for something useful?”

Team Hope chief executive officer Deborah Lowry is urging families, schools and communities to join the charity’s bid to generate the three millionth shoebox this year.

She said: “Often packed by children for children, they carry not only toys and treats, but also the invisible gifts of love and hope.

“In a world which often highlights what is broken, the Christmas Shoebox Appeal stands as a powerful demonstration that it is also filled with kindness.”