Greenbrier 4-H youth are helping to impact a few of the millions of children around the world with the simple shoebox they put together. And they may not only be touching the child but the whole family.
At their October meeting the Greenbrier members packed 30 boxes with personal care items, as well as accessories and fun things they thought kids in need would appreciate. They tried to add quality items that would not only be fun for the recipients, but would last, since those might be the only toys the children would get.
This 30-year-old program makes it possible to send boxes to children suffering from war, disease, poverty, and disaster. More than 209 million children in more than 170 countries and territories have received a shoebox. The program started with 28,000 gifts being sent to children in war-torn Bosnia and has now grown to worldwide.
Elizabeth Groff, now 28 and living in Texas, once received a box when in an orphanage in Ukraine when she was 11. She says she still remembers the yellow yo-yo inside.
The Greenbrier 4-Hers look forward to packing boxes each year. Elaina Stephenson asked, “Can I do another one?” and Jaelynn Hedges said, “I love doing the shoeboxes!” Rylan Hostetler even asked if he could include a special note in his.
