Gedeon received his shoebox in a bus station. No, he wasn’t going anywhere. Quite simply, the bus station is warm. And it has an indoor toilet and wash basin. Home has none of these luxuries. Soon, as the oldest man in the house, the 10-year-old will leave his mum and four siblings in the waiting room while he walks home to gather sticks and light the fire, to make it more welcoming for them.

“This family has little money, barely enough for food,” observes Irmus Varga who distributed Blythswood shoeboxes in Hajdú-Bihar county, eastern Hungary. “Gedeon’s mum is not happy about the holidays because the children miss their school meals. Your boxes are a huge help to families in need.”

Gedeon’s family spent much of the Christmas holiday at the bus station to stay warm