The Shoebox Donation
Have you ever filled a shoebox with items to donate? Did you put some thought into what you put in it, or did you just throw a bunch of things together and call it a day?
Let me shed some light on how something as simple as a shoebox donation, can impact a life for ever. Like it did for me.
Speaking for a group of shoebox donators…
A few years ago I was asked to be the High-Impact Speaker at a large law firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event coordinator told me there would be 200 women attendees, all attorneys, political officials, judges and city officials, in other words, all very influential people in our community. Each woman had to bring a shoebox with toiletries to donate to a local women’s abuse shelter.
The event coordinator and I met early, she in a bright royal blue dress suit and me in a winter white pant suit with a bright pink blouse and matching flower on my lapel. We ran through the seating arrangements, attendee list, and speaking order one more time.
As she was running around greeting the guests, I chose to sit quietly off to the side where I could watch and listen to people as they arrived. The first thing I noticed was that everyone was in a dark suit, making the event coordinator and I stick out like lighting bugs on a dark night.
Was it worth packing…
I already had my speech prepared for the event, but as I listened to the remarks as people dropped off the shoeboxes…”I didn’t know what to pack…it’s not much…I hope it’s helpful…I don’t know how this can make a difference”… and then conversations that were all business and not on the focus of what the event was for. I knew I had to change things.
So when I was invited to the stage, I introduced myself, added some humor in to get the audience to relax a little and then stood quietly, trying to make eye contact with as many as I could. Then I said…”Let me tell you what those shoeboxes mean to someone like me”, and the room went silent.
The trauma that led me to the shoebox…
After another severely abusive week, I was getting ready to leave for my counseling appointment that Bill (not his real name), my abuser didn’t want me to go to. Earlier that morning, he pointed a shotgun to my head, threatening my life. I had put my purse in the car, with the door opened and the engine running, I walked up to him and said; “Just so you don’t think that my counselor is talking me into this, I’m telling you right now, I’m done with your abuse and I’m leaving you.” And then I got out as quickly as I could without letting him see that I was terrified of what he might do to me. As I looked into my rear view mirror, he had run out of the house and was standing in the driveway. My heart was pounding so hard my whole chest hurt.
I walked into my counselor, Gwen’s, office. She looked scared and asked me to sit in the waiting room. I knew it was bad. After about 30 mins she came out to get me, brought me back into her office where Jack, Bill’s counselor was waiting for us.
Jack said that as soon as I left the house, Bill called him; they had been on the phone for about an hour. Jack was trying to calm him down. Bill blamed his abuse on me, saying I didn’t know how to handle him; he admitted that he was afraid he would kill me.
Gwen and Jack both told me I couldn’t go back. They had dealt with men like this before and he was definitely capable of killing me. As they called local shelters to find a place for me to stay, set up a restraining order and called for a police escort to the shelter, I sat there numb. I didn’t really comprehend what was going on. Their words just seemed muffled.
Then she handed me my shoebox…
So about 10:00 at night, with a police escort and flashing lights, the officer walked me to the door of the shelter. I remember hearing the person on the other side unlock five deadbolts. When she opened the door, the officer smiled, said to take care of myself, wished me luck and left.
After locking all the deadbolts, the lady escorted me into a small dimly lit sitting room. She took some information from me and then said she would be right back. I looked around–the four walls were covered from floor to ceiling with pictures of women and children, police reports, wanted posters, and newspaper articles of murders.
When the lady came back, I asked her who all the pictures were. She told me they were women and children who had been in their shelter, went back, and had been murdered by their abusers. My stomach started to churn, and the tears started to fall. How could this happen?
And that’s when she handed me my Shoebox.
The power of the Shoebox…
As she handed it to me, I asked her what it was. She said that they ask people to donate shoeboxes for women and children who come to the shelter. Knowing that we have to leave in a hurry and have nothing but the clothes on our back, having a shoebox of personal belongings can help give us a little piece of comfort. I cried even harder, not because of where I was, but because a total stranger had cared enough to give this to me when I had nothing.
The lady led me upstairs to my room, which was no bigger than my walk-in closet and had two sets of bunk beds and 1 small chair, but it felt more like home than home itself, because I was safe.
I went to bed that night in the top bunk with my shoebox, and even though I was crying, I was comforted because I knew someone cared about me. I was determined that I was going to be okay.
And this is where I knew… the women of the event, understood the importance of their shoebox: there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Fill a shoebox with love…
The next time you fill a Shoebox, add the necessities, but then add something extra–something chocolate… a pretty journal…a personal note of encouragement…toys and M&M’s if it’s a child’s shoebox. Put in some love and a prayer as you place items in the box. Believe me, who ever gets that box…they’ll feel it.
How about doing a Shoebox project with your children? Just put together 5-10 boxes and you and your children can take them to your local shelter. It doesn’t’t have to be a holiday or special community project. Teach them to reach out and help others in need. It will impact your children and the recipient of the shoebox forever.
Now add some comfort food like chocolate, add a prayer, some love and you just made an impact on someone that will last a lifetime.
Essential Oil Choice…
Gratitude – This essential oil blend was spcifically formulated to elevate, soothe, and appease the mind while bringing relief and relaxation to the body. While the body is relaxing, the heart and mind can be opened to receive the gifts that are given each day. That’s when true growth happens. How to use – Diffuse into the air with a cold air diffuser or apply Topically over the heart/forehead/temples and inhale deeply.
