Every year, thousands of people take part in Blythswood’s Shoe Box Appeal, filling shoeboxes with gifts for children and adults affected by poverty, trauma and exploitation.

A shoebox filled with simple, practical items such as toiletries, stationery, clothing, sweets and a small gift can bring joy to someone who may have very little. It is about more than the things inside.

Each box is personal. Each one is an expression of care. Each one lets someone know they have not been forgotten.

This year, the shoeboxes we fill will be helping people in impoverished areas of Albania.