Shoebox Appeal Delivery Diary 2024

This year the Shoebox Delivery Team consisted of Lisa, Katherine, Rhiannon, Karen and Vadim (behind the camera) Every year a small team from the UK go and visit one of our project managers in Eastern Europe and help them deliver shoeboxes. Its very important for us as a charity to see how the shoeboxes are delivered and to whom. More importantly it is for Link to Hope to be accountable to its supporters about exactly where their shoeboxes have been delivered to. It is also a great opportunity of capturing the moments of joy through photographs and video and we hope this Shoebox Delivery Diary reflects the happiness that your shoeboxes bring.
Day 1 – Saturday 7th December
We arrived at Brasov airport on Wizz Air and were picked up by Joseph from Hope Without Limits – a charity that helps marginalised and impoverished disabled people to flourish. For the eagle eyed reader you will remember we came to Brasov last year to give out shoeboxes. This year we are here to talk to the Hope without Limits team about the Transylvanian Bike Ride we are planning together for October 2025. We had a short meeting where we viewed the bikes and planned the route. We are very much looking forward to recruiting 15 cyclists to take part in this amazing trip. Please contact us if you are interested in taking part. SEE MORE HERE

Vadim – our amazing Moldovan photographer – met us with his car and we travelled the 3.5 hours to Tecuci even seeing snow at the highest point on the mountains. Finally we arrived and met up with Costel & Rodica a wonderful couple who have worked in the community for many years. They have outstanding connections as we found out during our stay with them.
Day 2 – Sunday, 8th December: A Journey of Resilience and Hope
As we set off for our mission today, one of the primary reasons we were here in this beautiful yet battered corner of Romania became apparent: the aftermath of severe flooding in September that devastated so many lives. Over 6,000 homes had been evacuated, leaving families with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their spirits hanging by a thread. But in the face of overwhelming loss, the human spirit showed its incredible capacity for resilience.



We met a man named Nicolas, a spry 82-year-old whose devotion to caring for his bedridden wife was evident in every word he spoke. His face lit up when he received his shoebox – especially with the chocolate and the hot water bottle. It was a simple gesture, yet it provided comfort in a world that had been turned upside down by the floods. As we made our way through the village, we saw houses that had been submerged in mud, some with water reaching the windows, others as high as the rooftops. It was a humbling sight.
One family’s living situation stood out to us: a couple caring for their elderly parents, both bedridden with dementia. One parent stayed in the house, and the other in a container, as their home had been swallowed by the floodwaters. Despite the hardship, they were so grateful for the blankets and shoeboxes, which provided not just physical warmth but also a sense of connection to the outside world.
Another woman shared how she had saved nothing but a table and four chairs, watching helplessly as everything else was ruined. Now living in a container, she was grateful for a shoebox filled with life’s essentials.
We met a lady who had been a lifeline to her elderly neighbors, providing care in a tiny room that also housed a bedridden neighbor. The conditions were basic, with the kitchen located outside, but her heart was big, and her kindness even bigger. In another part of town, a man whose roof had been destroyed was still tending to his potato crops, a quiet act of defiance in the face of adversity.




But not all of our visits were filled with joy. We met a man whose roof had been destroyed, and now he lived in a half-finished house amidst a sea of mud and water. It was absolutely devastated in parts where the water had arrived and when it receded the mud had been left behind. Very difficult to see and also to smell!
We also visited an elderly woman who, found herself displaced once again by flooding – this time, her new house, built after a previous flood in 2013, had been submerged. We had to walk over the mud that had piled up in her house in order to give her, her shoebox. The walls had started crumbling as the water had eaten away at the mud and straw walls – very distressing.



We met many more families, each with their own stories of hardship. One family had lost everything, and the grandmother in the house was overjoyed to receive a mug, hot water bottle, shampoo, and a candle – small things that brought her a sense of normality in a world that had been turned upside down. Her grandchildren could not stop playing with the small toys they found in their box. The children’s smiles, the simple joy they found in something so small, was enough to make every hardship worthwhile.
We came to a house with lots of washing hanging outside. Mostly childrens clothes but it was so cold and raining that nothing was getting dry. Maria had 5 children, including 3 with her previous husband who had been highly abusive to her and her daughter Mirela. Both of them had sustained stomach injuries and in Mirelas case a brain injury. We were asked to pray for her healing so we did. Her new husband was very kind and loved all the children the same.
The children at home were so pleased to receive a shoebox and thankfully they got a really good box. It was packed with soft toys, tea set, sweets, a farmyard animal set and beautiful gifts for mum and dad.



We visited an elderly lady who we thought was living on her own – such a wonderful smile. Then she invited us in to meet her mother! They now lived in just one room due to the floods but they had saved all their icons and they were proudly displayed behind the bed. It was such an unusual sight to walk into and both ladies were so warm and lovely even after all they had been through.

We met a woman called Tudorita who just didn’t not stop talking! She thought the paparazzi had arrived. She was trying to usher us all in see what was in the fridge for us all (there wasn’t a lot). We laughed with her and gently declined, leaving her with her shoebox.
We were deeply moved by the stories we heard. The worst situations were those where families who were still living in mud-filled homes or cramped containers. Yet in every home, despite the devastation, there was a sense of solidarity, of people helping each other rebuild their lives.
Later, we were treated to a delicious homemade meal by Marianna at a small church, where she shared her story of moving from Moldova to Romania and raising eight children. The hospitality was overwhelming, and her energy and passion for helping others was contagious.



One of the last places we visited was a burnt out house. When we talked to the family we learnt that it had been flooded so to dry it out they had brought in heaters. However one of the heaters had leaked gas, exploded and started a fire that burnt down the house. Sadly the parents had been in the house and had both been burnt badly and were now in the hospital. The adults sons were trying to rapidly build another house next door to move the family into. They were more upbeat than anyone could have expected them to be. One of the children was in school Year 7 and 11 years old and he came and thanked us for his shoebox in English. They all lived in two containers while the house was being rebuilt.



Day 3 – Monday, 9th December: A School Visit and a Mission of Hope
Our journey continued with a visit to a local school in Cudalbi, where we had the opportunity to deliver shoeboxes to children eager to receive them. The headteacher expressed his gratitude, hoping that they could continue receiving such gifts in the future. The classrooms were small, with ten students in one, fifteen in another, and a combined class of twenty-nine in the last room. The children were a mixture of excitement and shyness, some diving right into their shoeboxes while others hesitated, unsure of what to expect. Although they were dressed in coloured tracksuits (their school uniform) their background was that they were from very poor communities and the school helped families as much as they could.
Many of the children, though hesitant at first, quickly warmed to the toys inside, especially the small soft toys like smurfs, which inspired imaginative play. The sweets were, of course, a hit, and it was heartwarming to see their faces light up as they shared the treats with each other. Some children even practiced their English with us, proudly introducing themselves and chatting about their favorite subjects in school. It was a joy to see their enthusiasm and to know that, despite the challenges they faced, they were eager to learn and explore the world around them.







Our day took us next to the Tanner Romania Mission, home to nine men with physical disabilities. The warmth of the community here was palpable as we shared lunch with them and heard their stories. Many were believers, leading worship or teaching others, and their lives were a testament to the power of faith and community. These men had found a family in each other, and despite the physical challenges they faced, their spirits were strong and unwavering. Many had been left in orphanages as small children and babies by families that just couldn’t cope with their disabilities. They had found a new family with each other and they each had their own room which reflected their different personalities and tastes.
In the afternoon, we visited the girls’ home, where art and craft activities were the highlight of the day. The girls, each with their own unique challenges, were busy creating beautiful pieces of art, some threading beads, others cutting shapes, all contributing to a larger piece of work. It was inspiring to see how each individual, despite their difficulties, was able to create something beautiful and meaningful. They also sold some of these items in order to generate a revenue for the home which was very entrepreneurial and gave them a sense of value.






We then made our way to a Roma camp, where Costel’s years of work in the community had built strong relationships. As we arrived, children appeared from nowhere, lining the streets, their faces full of curiosity and excitement. The rain poured down as we distributed shoeboxes to large families, some with as many as eight children. The gratitude was overwhelming, and it was clear that the shoeboxes brought more than just practical gifts – they brought a sense of connection and hope to these families. The police had decided to accompany us but it really wasn’t necessary. We only met lovely people who were genuinely grateful. Many large families lived in one room together and even though they were in difficult circumstances there was a very strong sense of community.







At the end of the day, Costel drove us up to a derelict building on the edge of town. Nearly all the windows were smashed and it looked like a ghetto building – surely we weren’t going in there? As we looked at the building we saw a couple of the windows appear to have been closed off and we ventured inside to visit two families. They had no-one to live so had turned two of the spaces into their homes. One was an elderly couple who had surrounded themselves with items that they sold to try to get by. There were huge piles of empty plastic bottles as well as wood and other flammable items. They lived in these cramped conditions, surrounded by clutter and the remnants of a hard life. They knew Costel so they accepted their shoebox and us entering into their space.
We then went further along the corridor to visit another family who were less fortunate with their derelict room which was leaking from the roof. They had a line of plastic buckets to catch the water as it came in. They were three adults and believe it or not the children were at school. They have absolutely nothing but highly value their childrens education and send them to school each day! There had been another brother in the family but he had slipped on the concrete stairs, hit his head and died. We made sure we walked very slowly and carefully as we left the building.






Day 4 – Tuesday, 10th December: Continuing the Journey of Hope
We started the day going to visit buildings on the outskirts of towns. It didn’t really look like anyone was living in them but Costel and Rodica had visited here many times before. Again poor families who had no-where else to live and had come to settle here. Costel encourages them to send their children to school where they will learn and hopefully have a different perspective on life. The children do not get a healthy diet, leading to poor health, Costel has given them food in the past but at the moment there is no extra finance to support them in that way and relies on donations.



Alongside a bridge was a newer community of houses built right by a river. We found out that another shoebox project manager Petru Moran who is now based in Cluj, helped build these houses when the floods hit in 2005 along with Costel. People have very long memories and they remember that Petru and Costel helped them along with the local church and they are still extremely grateful. We received a very warm welcome. One lady called Costel the ‘Mayor of the village’. Interestingly she said when the war in Ukraine started she took all her documents and put them under her pillow in case the Russians came to her house as well. Thats how much the fear of war has spread across Eastern Europe.



We then drove out of town again to visit another Roma community outside Bacau. Again Costel and Rodica were well received as he had helped many of them and their families.. Only women, children and a few older men were around as thankfully most of the men were working. Lots of shoeboxes were given out. Several families had 5 or more children.
Many families and elderly ladies invited us in. All the rooms were very warm inside. All the dwellings were in very poor condition – shacks with lots of rubbish around. But we were well received and the shoeboxes were much appreciated. The children really enjoyed the toys, whistles, chocolate. Shampoo is important for everyone. The older people liked the mugs, reading glasses and socks.






That evening we had an evening meal at Mama Leana’s restaurant, near the big bridge where the houses had been rebuilt, which we had visited earlier in the day. Costel has built very good relationships with Mama Leana and her family. She was flooded out several years ago and found herself with nothing. The church came to help and from then life has looked better for her. She and her sons who also run eating establishments ensure that they remember the poor and give back to others in need.
We were slightly embarrassed to find at the end of the meal (which was lovely) that Mama Leana’s insisted that the meal was free to say thank you for the continued Shoebox work that had been repeated over many years. We did try to pay but to no avail. And on top of that we were then surprised by a portion of pappanash, something like very light doughnuts with cream and pureed blackberries. It was delicious.
Costel shared a little of how important the shoeboxes are in his ministry. It enables him to gain continued access to people. He and Rodica clearly have a huge love for the poor and disadvantaged.
Day 5 Wednesday 11th December
On our final day, we visited more families in dire need. One elderly man, flooded in 2007, had rebuilt his house with the help of Costel and the church. The water had been 4ft high and he had carried his wife to the loft to wait out the floods. He was now sharing the house with his son and grandson as his wife had died. However as they both worked he was on his own all day. Despite his loneliness and the passage of time, his gratitude was clear as we shared a song and a prayer with him. It was a poignant moment, a reminder of the power of community and faith in times of hardship.

We visited a couple in a house with no permanent roof. The husband was in bed due to him only having one leg. They had a very tiny but very loud dog in the house with them. The house looked very ramshackled which was very moving but thankfully it was warm. Their previous house had burnt down. This house needs a new roof which we would really like to help them with. We left her with a shoebox, blanket and cardboard! She loved the reading glasses as she would be able to see better. Every item in box was admired but her eyes went most keenly to the toiletries.











We continued visiting homes, most of them in very poor condition, yet each family showing remarkable resilience. We were welcomed into many houses. Usually there was just one room for sleeping for everybody. The other is usually for a kitchen. Unfortunately its outside for everything else including bathrooms. They were always very warm, having a good wood burner/masonry heater in a corner.
There were loads of dogs roamed the streets and so much rubbish everywhere as they don’t have the luxury of bin men coming to collect their bins every week. One plus was that we met a lady who had collected a sack of empty bottles to exchange for money. They have a much better recycling system than us. Any plastic can be fed into a machine in exchange for a few pence. You would have to work very hard to get any decent level of income but this lady was trying her hardest.
As we wrapped up our visit to this beautiful yet challenging region, it was clear that the shoeboxes were not just physical gifts – they were symbols of solidarity and support, a reminder that no one is ever truly alone. The journey had been filled with moments of joy, sorrow, and everything in between, but above all, it was a journey of hope, proving that even in the darkest of times, light can still shine through.