Christmas Charity Shoe-boxes!

Okay this is a little more complicated than your average swap so pay attention!!

You may have heard of Christmas Charity Shoeboxes - you decorate and fill a shoebox with gifts for a child or orphan in a developing country, or children in poverty at home, or servicemen/women overseas. There are lots of organisations that do these, here's just a few:

http://www.samaritanspurse.org (USA) http://www.santasshoebox.com/ (USA) http://www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/ (UK) http://www.linkromania.co.uk/ http://www.uk4u.org (UK) http://www.operationshoebox.co.uk/ (UK) http://www.uso.org/operation-uso-care-package.aspx (USA - doesn't require a shoebox, but still counts!) http://www.aquabox.org/ (Aquabox is different & more complex but an AMAZING thing to do if you can - this one really saves lives!)

Please note that some of these organizations (Samaritans Purse) put religious information inside the boxes that they hand out - so select which organization you choose carefully if this concerns you.

For this swap, you will choose one of the charity's above - or there are lots more if you google search - and compile a charity shoebox to their specifications. You can then either deliver your shoebox to one of their charity drop-off points or post it to the charity address they specify (DON'T POST THE SHOEBOX TO YOUR PARTNER!)

Instead of the box itself, you will send your swap partner a PHOTOGRAPH and/or DESCRIPTION OF YOUR BOX, where you sent it, maybe some info on what you put in it. You can do this by post or email, it's up to you. Maybe if you posted it you could include the postal receipt. Basically show your swap partner evidence that you actually created a shoebox! If you complete a shoebox you should really get a 5 - and if you create more than one then you should definitely get a 5!

PLEASE READ:

• Most charities have strict rules on what they can accept (eg. no perishables, no small parts, no 'war' toys such as toy guns, no novels etc) so please read their guidelines fully and comply.

• You will probably need to buy some NEW items to put in the box such as toothbrushes, pencils, colouring books, a soft toy etc. This isn't an opportunity to offload some scraps you have lying around, it needs to be good condition and suitable.

• Most also require a donation of between £2 - £10 to cover admin/shipping costs. Please look at the charity websites and check out if you can complete before signing up.

• Different charities have different deadlines! I have put Dec 1 but check their websites! Some need their boxes before the middle of November, or some will accept them until Christmas, so don't get caught out (and don't say we didn't warn you)

• You usually need to choose a gender and age range (eg. girl aged 5 - 9), so keep this in mind. Others are more flexible.

Newbies are welcome - although if you flake on this then a child-in-need is missing out so you should feel VERY GUILTY!