The Festive Season is a time when most children get very excited knowing that many glitzily wrapped presents will soon be there.
Many children in South Africa don’t get excited. They won’t be getting a gift. Most of them don’t even know what a gift is.
The Safripol Share a Gift. Share a Smile Campaign aims to make a difference. In partnership with Toy Kingdom and The Angel Network, the campaign is encouraging people to clear out their cupboards and donate their pre-loved toys. The donations are being made at any of the Toy Kingdom branches and many participating schools and businesses.
Already an army of volunteers has been collecting and sorting at designated depots in the major metropolitan areas. Donated toys get transported to the depot with the help of Unitrans, Safripol’s sister company. After sorting, they are cleaned and refurbished and made ready for gifting. Even the badly broken toys aren’t wasted. They are sent off for recycling and may end up being used to make new toys.
Safripol’s, Executive and Commercial Director, Mark Berry, says “Just a little effort is all it takes to turn an old toy into a gift for a child that has never even had a toy in their lives before. The effort from everyone is worth it when you see the smile on that child’s face’.
The toys will be distributed as gifts to children’s homes, NPO’s and Early Childhood development centres. Some of the toys even make their way to police stations. There they are used to comfort children who have been brought in to make statements.
Charlene Windvogel, founder of recipient organisation, CBD Helping Hands, said” To these children the toy is something of their very own, but it’s also a sign that someone cares about them. And that is a precious gift”.
Safripol’s Toy campaign started in 2020 with collections in five malls. Last year that number had reached 102 mall locations and more than 50,000 toys were collected. Hopes are high that the campaign will make thousands more children smile. Take a few minutes to collect some old toys and donate them. Collections will run from November 1st all the way through to January 15th.
To find out more visit www.safripol.com/share-a-gift-share-a-smile-toy-campaign-2023/