Project 'Santa Shoebox'

Katelyn Coetzee from Golden Sands Primary School has started a Santa Shoebox Project. Photo/Stuart Whitaker

Hearing aboutthe plight of a homeless 13-year old boy has inspired Golden Sands School pupil Katelyn Coetzee to brighten Christmas for local youngsters.

Katelyn, with her mum Sindy and her mum's partner Roger Smith, were at a rally in Napier before the general election.

Arranged to allow political candidates to hear real-life stories from homeless people, one ofthose who told his tale was a boy who had been living in a tentfor two years and whose mum had made many unsuccessful attempts to find them a home.

On the way back to Papamoa, Katelyn came up with the idea of brightening up the lives of people like the boy who had spoken.

"I felt sorry for the homeless and felt bad because I knew they wouldn't get any presents," she says. "Kids really want presents and would be grateful for what they get."

She wrote a letter outlining her thoughts and shared it with her schoolfriends.

"It was to tell people at school how lucky they are to have a bed to sleep in and food and clothes to wear and that we can help by sharing what we have with others."

Katelyn hit on the idea of asking people to donate a shoe box of gifts that might include new toys, sweets, new stationery, maybe a Christmas card or a letter with a special message, but also useful items such as a toothbrush and toothpaste.

She says that, ideally, the shoe box should be wrapped — with the lid wrapped separately — and labelled.

Katelyn and Sindy used to live in South Africa and Sindy helped make and distribute food and soup to homeless people in a project called Eden of Hope. They decided that's what they should call Katelyn's initiative.

The shoe boxes will be distributed through TeTuinga Whanau Trust in Tauranga before Christmas.

Golden Sands School has supported Katelyn and her idea and will act as a collection point.

Sindy and Katelyn ask that allthe shoe boxes are dropped off at the school on or before December 15.

Sindy says they are hoping anyone involved can then go to the School on December 15 for a photograph.

The project's Facebook page is www.facebook.com/edenofhope/