Matt Baines and Steve Coles from the UK Operational Excellence team took time out and joined the Samaritans production line recently. They were given the opportunity to pack Christmas Gift shoe boxes for underprivileged children that were filled with vital essentials such as soap, a toothbrush, a flannel as well as a selection of toys, books and crayons.
Over the course of the day Steve and Matt, along with the other volunteers, were able to pack and process over 1,600 boxes that are destined for children in central Asia.
Yvonne, one of the event organisers, shared a touching story from last Christmas where she was able to visit children in Moldova and remembers a particular little boy who was overwhelmed with happiness with his box. All he wanted to do was share his hairbrush with his mother as he’d never been able to give her a gift at Christmas before.
Steve commented: “This has probably been the best Lend a Hand I’ve done; you really got the feeling you were really making a difference to those children’s lives.”
The Samaritans will be packing boxes until 17th December and are always looking for volunteers. If you’d like to volunteer you can do so by using this link to sign up.