A WORCESTER charity is appealing to city businesses to lend them space in a warehouse for a month so they can pack nearly 5,000 Christmas shoebox gifts and send them to some of the most deprived children in the world.
Operation Christmas Child says it needs the building during November so their volunteers can check, collect and store the boxes which lorries will take in early December to Eastern Europe, former Soviet Union countries and Africa.
“Ideally, we would like a building within the city of around 5,000 square feet, with heating, lighting, car park facilities and access for 40-tonne lorries,” said organiser Sue Tindall.
“We would also need adequate toilet facilities, a rest area for the volunteers and the place conforming to all health and safety requirements.”
Last year the Worcester branch, which has been going for 16 years, sent 4,495 boxes of toys and gifts to Serbia.
The Worcester group, which has around 40 volunteers, meets regularly throughout the year in the community room at the city’s Waitrose store, to make toys, crafts and presents.
It relies on dozens of businesses, churches, groups, schools and individuals across the county to donate filled shoeboxes.
If you would like to volunteer to help Operation Christmas Child, which is part of Samaritan’s Purse International UK, email Sue on [email protected]
