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Shoebox Stories
Meg's Shoebox Mission
By TERRY KELLY in The Shields Gazette
Published on Monday 30 January 2012 13:00
DURING the week, Meg Stevens is office manager at a flooring contractors. But each year, she doubles as a
charity organiser when she encourages all the staff to boost the annual Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal. Local Shoebox Appeal co-ordinator Carol Hall said: “Meg is a great supporter of the appeal and has been on fire this year.
charity organiser when she encourages all the staff to boost the annual Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal. Local Shoebox Appeal co-ordinator Carol Hall said: “Meg is a great supporter of the appeal and has been on fire this year.“After starting with 10 boxes, the staff at Durastic have built up their contribution, year by year, to about 200 boxes. They are just fantastic."
But not content with being a factory appeal organiser, Mrs Stevens decided to see for herself how the boxes of gifts transform the lives of poor people in former Eastern Bloc countries. So just before Christmas, Mrs Stevens joined the shoebox mercy mission on a trip to the landlocked country of Belarus, bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.She told the Gazette about what she found in Belarus – and said she cannot wait to return.
Mrs Stevens saw life on both sides of the tracks, from a single young mum struggling to get by in a shabby flat with her young children, to life in bleak old folk’s homes and orphanages, to the relatively prosperous life enjoyed by citizens in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
Mrs Stevens said: “I went on a family visit with another team member, Joan, and interpreter, Ksusha, up five flights of very dark, dirty stairs to their apartment. They had one room to live in, which consisted of a big old bed, which they all slept in, a tiny portable TV and an old wall unit, crammed with their belongings. Their ‘kitchen’ was a wall unit and old stove.The mum, Alona, then shocked us by saying that she had no running water and the children had to get their water from a communal pump outside.Their ‘toilet’ was a bucket in a cupboard, which Alona preferred the girls to use, rather than the communal toilet on the landing.But despite the awful conditions this family were living in, they were so happy and mum Alona so proud of her girls and her baby. They loved every tiny item in their shoeboxes, and I had taken extra goodies with me, so mum got some chocolates and biscuits.”
Mrs Stevens, who works for Durastic Ltd, based at Cuthbert Court, Bede Industrial Estate, Jarrow, said the trip brought home the economic chasm between life in the UK and that in Belarus.
“They were a lovely family, but all I could think of was my own baby grandson when I looked at baby Sasha. It was a heart-breaking visit, and even our interpreter was reduced to tears at the appalling conditions this beautiful family were living in.”
The Jarrow charity champ and fellow shoebox volunteers also visited an orphanage, where most of the children were partially sighted or blind.
Mrs Stevens said: “This little girl, Katya, decided to be my ‘guide’ and she showed me around the classrooms and we played with the younger children, some as young as three. Every time a box was opened, the universal
word we used was ‘wow!’ because of the reaction of the children.When it was time to leave, Katya wanted to give me a gift. She took the green bobble out of her hair and gave it to me.I pointed to my own hair, which is short, but she shook her head and pushed her bobble on my wrist, as a bracelet.I wore it for days until my wrist was sore, a treasured possession from a treasured Katya.
word we used was ‘wow!’ because of the reaction of the children.When it was time to leave, Katya wanted to give me a gift. She took the green bobble out of her hair and gave it to me.I pointed to my own hair, which is short, but she shook her head and pushed her bobble on my wrist, as a bracelet.I wore it for days until my wrist was sore, a treasured possession from a treasured Katya.“Our visit to an orphanage for over 200 children is where I’ve left part of my heart in Belarus.”
Mrs Stevens also bonded with a 15-year-old girl called Maryna, who had been in the orphanage from a very early age, after being taken taken from her alcoholic mother and a variety of abusive ‘uncles.’
“Maryna was by my side all afternoon and when the time came to leave it was hard to tell who was crying more – me or this beautiful girl, who had nothing, but wanted to give so much.Her special gift to me was a drawing of her hand – this is now framed and takes pride of place on my wall at home. I’ll never forget this special girl"
This year, South Tynesiders donated 7,499 shoeboxes of gifts for Belarus, despite the difficult economic climate. But for Mrs Stevens, after looking into the eyes of grateful children in the poverty-stricken country itself, the donations are even more vital.
She added: “My trip was the most wonderful experience. It’s amazing how families can live in the most appalling conditions, and yet be so proud and loving and wonderful children, with nothing to give but their love to a stranger.”
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