'It was overwhelming': Woman in Waterford shares her experience of receiving a Christmas shoebox as a child

Locals in Waterford have generated more than 8,300 Christmas shoebox gifts for children affected by poverty over the last three years helping a charity pass the 3million mark nationally in time for Christmas.

Since 2010, Team Hope has delivered over 2.8million shoebox gifts from Ireland to countries across Africa and Eastern Europe.

It will ship off its three millionth box off in the next few weeks. 

The charity’s figures show that in the last three years, kind-hearted donors in Waterford have created 8,307 gifts.

There is still time to increase that total with drop-off points open around the county until November 15.

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Someone who knows how transformative the shoeboxes are to children is Waterford-city based Camelia Nistor, who received one in her native Romania in 1991.

"It’s hard to imagine now, when we have everything available to us, but back then, Romania was a closed country up until 1989, there were no private shops or companies," she recalls.

Having been accustomed to receiving oranges as a Christmas treat, she will never forget the moment she opened a shoebox gift at the age of 13.

"When I saw these items that I had never seen before - colourful crayons, sweets, a hat and gloves…It was overwhelming," she said.

"The smell of the soap was probably the thing that stayed with me." 

That magical childhood experience has come full circle as Camelia is now a Team Hope volunteer, introducing the shoebox gesture to her colleagues at Waterford-based company Sun Life.

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"I organise a few teams to come and volunteer their time, last year we had people who wanted to wrap boxes for Team Hope in Christmas paper. It is my way of giving back," she said.

"When I found out there was a shoebox charity in Ireland, that’s when I joined up, it has been nice to give my time and I really enjoy it. I’m always surprised by people’s generosity, it’s so nice to see that people are sending these boxes without knowing the person at the other end," Camelia added.

Team Hope CEO, Deborah Lowry, said that the support the charity has received from the people of Waterford since 2010 has been "incredible." 

Surpassing the magical three million shoebox mark ties in with the charity’s 15th anniversary of bringing happiness to children in some of the poorest parts of the world, many of whom have never experienced the joy of Christmas.

Everyone in Waterford is urged to continue the effort.

Filled shoeboxes can be dropped off until November 15 at: Murphy’s Toymaster Dungarvan, Axa Insurance in Waterford and with local volunteers Darina Crean and Nathaniel Ademoye.

Donors, if they prefer, can choose to send a personalised €25 shoebox online through Team Hope’s website, right up until Christmas Eve.