As spring blooms across the country, the Santa Shoebox Project’s pledging season opens today, rallying communities to come together and bring pure joy to local children.
Cape Town, South Africa (01 September 2026) – Spring has sprung, and pledging season for the Santa Shoebox Project (SSP) has officially opened!
Every year, 1 September is the biggest date in the iconic project’s calendar, because it means that good people from all around the country jump into action to bring joy to children in their communities.
This year is an especially momentous occasion for South Africa’s most beloved children’s charity: SSP is celebrating its 20th birthday!
To celebrate this milestone, the Project has set the ambitious collective goal of delivering Shoeboxes to more than 80,000 children in need.
“The Santa Shoebox Project is one big #beautifulstory – made up of more than a million and a half beautiful chapters of giving and receiving joy since 2006. With 70 drop-off points around the country, in every single province, and thousands of volunteers and donors making the magic happen, we are truly grateful for the collective impact of our incredible community,” says Santa Shoebox Project CEO Deb Zelezniak.
So much more than just a box…
The sentiment behind every pledge is captured in the campaign theme: #WhatAPledgeStarts. For children who are not used to much, the first surprise is often that the entire gift belongs to them. The Shoebox they receive is beautifully decorated, their name is on the label, the new set of clothes is their size, and the toy and stationery were chosen for their life stage right now. Everything is new, hand-picked, and just for them.
Each year, team pledges start on 1 August and individual pledges on 1 September, when lists of names go live on the Santa Shoebox website, and everyone gets to choose a specific child.
In October and November, local teams of volunteers receive the boxes at designated drop-off points, where they are inspected for safety and sorted by beneficiary facility. The handover events take place at schools and care facilities in November and December. Virtual Santa Shoeboxes, which fund SSP Legacy work – building schools, training teachers and providing reading corners – can, however, be donated throughout the year.
“A pledge is a promise made to a specific child,” says Zelezniak. “When someone chooses a child by name, age, and gender, they aren’t just shopping for supplies. They are creating an experience where a child in their community, whom they’ve never met, feels important and loved. The children carry that feeling in their hearts, and many, once they are grown up, pay it forward to another child.”
Stuck Pup Rescued After Chasing Goat Down Table Mountain
The Little Box That Came Full Circle: Joshua Saal Celebrates 20 Years of Santa ShoeboxEvery Santa Shoebox contains eight specified items that perform a vital role in a child’s life:
- Soap, a wash cloth, toothpaste and a toothbrush protect health and dignity.
- New clothes fit the child receiving them, fostering pride and self-esteem.
- Educational supplies for their specific age help them participate in school.
- A toy and sweets honour the part of childhood that simply deserves delight.
As part of #OurBeautifulStory, Santa Shoebox also reminds supporters that they can maximise their impact by choosing the Santa Shoebox Project as their cause on the Woolies MyDifference app, supporting the project’s legacy work at no extra cost, every time they shop.
So far, the Santa Shoebox Project has reached more than 1.5 million children since 2006. It has just finished its eighth school, built in Maruping in the Northern Cape this year. It plans to build many more rural schools in the coming decade, and welcomes donations towards this important cause.
Over the years, the project has partnered with several well-known South African brands, as well as with dozens of other NGOs. In 2026 alone, 10,000 Snugglehead toys were ordered from local women’s NPO initiative, Project Purpose’s Kya Crafts, bringing the total to 27,400 handcrafted toys ordered thus far.
Other local NPOs the project supports and collaborates with include Book Dash, ORT SA Cape, The Reach Trust (Finding Thabo), Breadline Africa, Centre for Early Childhood Development, Singekwenza, Taking Care of Business, and countless crèches and early childhood development centres across South Africa.
To pledge, visit: https://santashoebox.org.za/pledge-a-santa-shoebox/.
Sources: Santa Shoebox Project
Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google.
Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes and hear their incredible stories:
Or catch an episode of Good Things with Brent Lindeque or our Weekly Top 5 below. The videos here are always changing, updated with the latest episodes from these two shows. Both are part of Good Things TV, created to bring South Africans balance at a time when the news can feel overwhelmingly negative. Our goal is simple: to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in our country – and to leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.
by 
