Blythswood News
Number 82 Summer 2023
That personal touch really does change lives
For 30 years Blythswood Care has been delivering your lovingly-filled shoeboxes to some of the poorest people in Europe.
At different times and in different countries I have seen for myself just how much your gifts are appreciated, and how much joy they bring.
Whether it’s a barefoot child who has never before received a Christmas present, or an elderly person who is struggling to stay warm in winter, these shoeboxes really make their day.
Since our first Shoe Box Appeal in 1993 we have sent more than 2.5 million boxes – each one different, each one personal, each one an expression of your care and kindness towards a stranger in need.
That personal touch really does change lives. Soap and new underwear help restore a sense of dignity. More than that – especially for older people – the kindness of a friend they’ve never met can really warm the heart. In each box we include a Bible story for children, a booklet for teens or a calendar for adults to share the love of Jesus who hears the prayers of each of us.
Will you fill a box for Blythswood’s 2023 Shoe Box Appeal? I’m counting on you! Thank you very much indeed.
James Campbell
Chief Executive
“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.” Psalm 34:6
That personal touch really does change lives
For 30 years Blythswood Care has been delivering your lovingly-filled shoeboxes to some of the poorest people in Europe.
At different times and in different countries I have seen for myself just how much your gifts are appreciated, and how much joy they bring.
Whether it’s a barefoot child who has never before received a Christmas present, or an elderly person who is struggling to stay warm in winter, these shoeboxes really make their day.
Since our first Shoe Box Appeal in 1993 we have sent more than 2.5 million boxes – each one different, each one personal, each one an expression of your care and kindness towards a stranger in need.
That personal touch really does change lives. Soap and new underwear help restore a sense of dignity. More than that – especially for older people – the kindness of a friend they’ve never met can really warm the heart. In each box we include a Bible story for children, a booklet for teens or a calendar for adults to share the love of Jesus who hears the prayers of each of us.
Will you fill a box for Blythswood’s 2023 Shoe Box Appeal? I’m counting on you! Thank you very much indeed.
James Campbell
Chief Executive
“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.” Psalm 34:6
People returning to Kyiv district happy to be alive
When Alexandra’s parents took their one-year-old daughter back to their home in Borodianka, they were relieved to discover the only damage was shattered windows.
Woolly hats help families through Balkan winter
Nothing is more practical than a woollen hat. And six-year-old Esmedin looks pleased with the brand-new home-knit made for him by a stranger far away. “Winter here can be very cold,”
Somebody somewhere thought about me
Why should anyone fill a shoebox for Blythswood? Blythswood News put this question to Finlay Mackenzie who retired as Head of Projects this year, having overseen
Ludmila rejoiced over the gifts you sent her
Ludmila is no longer able to walk. The shelling which completely destroyed her home in the east of Ukraine caused a fire in which her legs and feet were badly burnt.
Ion was very glad to see us
At five years old, Ion is too young to understand the dramas of his own life. When his parents divorced, he and his mother and sisters found themselves homeless and on the street.
Now I have my own pencils
Some of us may remember wearing the hand-me-down clothes of older siblings but Ionut has never experienced anything else. The youngest of ten brothers in a low-income family in the
Your gifts made him as happy as a child
As happy as a child – that is how 67-year-old Shaban was described by Roumen Ivanov who presented him with a Blythswood shoebox. Since having a stroke five years ago, Shaban has
Basic shoebox item helps barefoot girl in Bulgaria
Socks. Can you imagine going through the winter without any? When she was handed a Blythswood shoebox at the door of her village home in central Bulgaria, 12-year-old Maria had no socks.
Shoebox gifts help young people at school in Albania
“Elvana’s mother works hard to meet the needs of the family,” says Gjergji Como who delivered the boxes in January. “Elvana learns a lot at school and wants to help her mother when
Andjelina loved your present
Earning a living is not easy in Lebane, southern Serbia, and the parents of little Andjelina are away much of the summer, taking seasonal work as fruit-pickers in Italy.
Ancient stories for young minds
Eleven-year-old Niko loves to read and the book which he found in his shoebox promised to be a real page-turner. Samson – the Strong Man’s Strength recounts the adventures of
Christmas in the stable
Since losing his house in a fire, Mitru lives in the stable with his animals. Mihai Micula visited his village in northwest Romania to give him a Blythswood shoebox at Christmas.
Ukrainian evacuee touched by your kindness
Sixty-seven-year-old Georgy has been used to a life of hardship. He was stealing coal from railway wagons in order to heat his home when he fell off, was hit by a train and lost
New dad receives your gift as a blessing for his week-old child
Dorin has every reason to look happy. At the age of 32 he has just become a father for the first time. And now someone has given him a box full of baby clothes and other things
Elena’s smile is a picture
Elena* shows her delight at finding baby clothes when boxes from Blythswood’s 2022 Shoe Box Appeal were delivered to a state-run home in northwest Romania which helps vulnerable single mothers to support their new-born infants.
Your presents were all things which they needed
With no support from their father, Petru (18) and Ionel (16) work to support the seven younger members of the family. “They live in very poor conditions,” Mihai says.
Your gifts reach some of the poorest families in Europe
Six-year-old Dominik and his two sisters Szimonetta (4) and Melania (2) are growing up in a poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of Tatabanya, northwest Hungary. Their mum has no