Romanian Shoebox Appeal

Romanian Shoebox Appeal

History

In 2009 we did our first small Shoebox collection and took them to Romania to our partner church and gave them out to the poor Gypsy communities. Thanks to the generosity of churches and schools, since 2009 we have sent out over 34,000 shoeboxes from around the UK and delivered them to families living in poverty in Romania.

To most of us a shoebox does not seem very important – the contents are nice but usually we do not see these as spectacular. Yet to the people who receive these they are precious beyond our comprehension – particularly because they show them that someone has thought of them.

Family Shoeboxes
Our shoeboxes are not just for children. At the request of our partner church in Romania we also encourage supporters to put items in the shoebox which will be gifts for parents and grandparents. This often opens doors to follow up visits by church members.

Shoeboxes in the local community.

Two of AMEN’s supporters, Malcolm and Anne McCulloch, have recently shared about their work with shoeboxes on a local radio station. For the last 7 years Malcolm and Anne have been involved with collecting around 2,000 shoeboxes for AMEN in their local area of Stratford-upon-Avon. Have a listen to their interview which covers why they got involved in this work, how their local community has supported them and their experiences of being part of the AMEN team that visits Romania each December to help our local partners distribute shoeboxes. Watch the video

Shoebox Appeal 2025

The 2025 Appeal will open later this year. Please check back for a registration form and further details.

If you would like to be part of the team which distributes the shoeboxes in December, please contact chrischatfield@hotmail.com