Time On Our Hands
Theresa Wood is the Christmas Shoebox Appeal Officer with Team Hope and the friendly face behind the volunteer emails for their Shoebox Appeal. Here she shares her reflections on how COVID-19 inspired the creation of a new opportunity to #VolunteerFromHome.
Reflections on time during COVID-19
There is a piece of paper on my fridge. It’s a list of jobs to be done around the house for when we have time to get them done. That piece of paper has remained there for as long as I can remember but, every month, the list seems to have grown longer and longer. There’s never been the time to do them. However, since COVID-19 came into our lives we’ve all found time exists in various lengths and, surprisingly, that list is starting to become my friend.
The hot press was once an unexplored cave and is now the proud owner of reunited duvet sets, beautifully folded towels and an area of new, unused items that I’d forgotten I’d bought. Likewise, the medicine cabinet was creating its own mountain of out of date items and a trip to the chemist felt very rewarding as I handed them over to be responsibly disposed of. I even braved my daughter’s bedroom to sort through the plethora of unwanted/not played with toys, teddy bears and clothes. As for the under stairs cupboard – well I’ll be honest – I haven’t tackled that one yet – but I will!
Whilst ploughing through this list of jobs to be done I’ve come across many items that I haven’t had the courage to throw away. They can be categorised into categories
- Brand new but we won’t use them
- We’ve outgrown this toy/item/clothing
- What was I thinking when I bought that?!
I started to realise I could do something with those items – something constructive. And if I had a list on my fridge, there was probably loads of other people befriending their lists and doing a clear-out too. We could do something constructive together! That’s when I posted the role on I-VOL for the “Super Early Shoebox Gift Makers”.
Volunteer role: Super Early Shoebox Gift Makers
- Have you found some teddy bears or good quality toys that need a new home?
- Are there clothes in your child’s wardrobe that they have outgrown but are too nice to throw out?
- Is there a face cloth that you found in your hot press that you could set aside?
- Are there copy books that haven’t been written in?
If the answer is YES then you could be our hero!
I know it’s early summer but how great would it be to get to September knowing that you already have a shoebox gift or two ready for a child living in poverty – all made from items that you might have ended up throwing out. While lockdown can be a challenge maybe you can have some fun and help others who are in need at the same time.
Volunteer role: Super Knitters
You might not have any “to Wear” items – can you knit something like a hat or scarf? If you have some spare time – and you don’t want to look at the list on the fridge too often – we are always looking for fillers for our donated gifts.
Check out our separate volunteer role for “Super Knitters” and become part of our Super Knitters team! You’ll still have created a box of love in advance and had fun at the same time sorting through items that you can put in.
Final word
I’ve started to embrace the challenge of COVID-19. As I tick off items from my list I’m now creating a new one – ways to help others – clothes are going to neighbours, unopened gifts are being set aside for future charity raffles and 5 boxes have already been filled for the Christmas Shoebox Appeal. My fridge list now has wrap more shoeboxes on it (my pet hate) but for now because of that list I’ve been proactive. I’m helping put a smile on the faces of at least 5 children this Christmas and it’s cost me nothing but my time.
Every year, the Christmas Shoebox Appeal sends thousands of gift-filled shoeboxes to children in Africa and Eastern Europe – you can read more about Team Hope and their Christmas Shoebox Appeal here.
