The IOW Rotary Shoebox appeal 2012

lOW Rotary Moldovan Shoe Box Project 2012

Enormous thanks go out to every Club member who actively supported this year's Shoe Box Project,

"It was a smooth operation!"

Rotary members worked in the drafty, chilly and ice cold Spithead Warehouse for four days, sustained throughout with hot tea, coffee, chocolate and jammy doughnuts.

It is not possible to give numbers of boxes collected from each area on the island but the total number collected was 2562 boxes. Also included with these were children's clothing, blankets, soft toys and baby items.

Shoe Boxes were checked, repackaged, sorted into categories and put into outer boxes over a four day period. (26-29th October). The remaining late arrivals were processed on the 7th and 8th November.

On 21st November, a small number of Rotarians spent a few hours shrink-wrapping the palletted boxes, numbering and labelling each batch, ready for final collection.

Ahead of schedule CLA, the haulage firm, came to collect the consignment and Paul Drayton and I met the lorry at the Spithead on 29th November at 10.30.

The Shoe Boxes arrived in Austria where there was an unexpected five day delay while the Romanian Authorities waited for various Customs codes to be provided.

The Shoe Boxes arrived in Chisinau on 16th December, during a severe snow fall, and were offloaded and received by members of Chisinau Rotary Clubs.

Christmas in Moldova is celebrated on 7th January so there was time to organise distribution in a systematic way, in spite of the bitter cold.

Recipients,

The children at the Home for disabled, homeless and disadvantaged children.

Children and families from the five villages that Chris and I visited earlier in the year. Children and families attending the Day Care Centre attached to the Hospice Children and families in other outlying villages who were very poor, needy and disadvantaged.

A number of schools in these rural locations also received Shoe Boxes.

Some photographs have been sent through but, unfortunately, although a good account of the children receiving the boxes.

DC