Present-givers in the Western Wards have helped a national charity to donate their 100millionth shoebox full of gifts to less fortunate children abroad.
Iris Meatcher and husband David with thousands of shoeboxes at Sarisbury Green United Reform Church
Children, parents, grandparents and worshippers across Locks Heath, Park Gate, Titchfield Common, Warsash, Sarisbury and Whiteley packed, wrapped and donated 7,500 Christmas gifts to Sarisbury Green United Reformed Church.
These were added to the boxes collected nationally and delivered to vulnerable children in Belarus, Bosnia, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Romania and Swaziland by the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child scheme.
Iris Meatcher, who organises the collection for the Sarisbury Green church in Bridge Road, said the amount donated by people in the Western Wards was fantastic.
“When we started I never thought it would be as big as that,” she said.
“To get to the millionth was lovely, but to get to the 100millionth is a great achievement.
“This last year our number was down a bit because of the recession but things in the shoeboxes make the world of difference to the children that get them and that makes it all worthwhile.”
Volunteers that have helped Iris will enjoy a celebratory thank you party on February 23 at the church where Mary Savage, who organises collections in Timsbury, will speak about her visit to the children in Bosnia who received the presents last year.
Across Hampshire more than 24,800 shoeboxes were filled with items including hats, gloves, pens, pencils and toys.
Hampshire regional manager for Operation Christmas Child, Roger Fenton, said: “I would like to thank the volunteers at our local collection sites and all those who packed an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift.
“We’re so grateful that despite the recession and the hardship everyone is feeling people have really gone the extra mile this year to pack shoeboxes with love and because of that we’ve been able to reach our 100millionth shoebox.”
Since 1990, the national scheme has delivered the gifts to children in more than 100 countries.