One woman made the most of a festive season in which she was unemployed, and Christmas felt far less cheerful by giving joy to those who otherwise would’ve gone without. Today, that tradition continues as the Xmas Box Lunch Project, which hopes to feed many impoverished animals in need!
Boksburg, South Africa (17 November 2024) — When Claudine Matthews was unemployed and Christmas didn’t feel particularly cheerful, she decided to do something special. Instead of waiting for joy to find her, Claudine decided to bring joy to others, others who didn’t have much say in their lives—the animals in underserved communities. That year, twelve laps around the sun ago, marked the very first ‘Xmas Box Lunch Project’—a now highly anticipated charity event.
Today, Claudine spearheads PawsRehoming, a Boksburg-based community that helps impoverished animals with everything from food to sterilisation and care.
Although PawsRehoming (AKA, Claudine) is always busy, during the festive season, extra time is carved out to ensure that animals in destitute circumstances will have something to fill their hungry tummies.
Claudine explains that the goal is to see every animal encountered in the six settlements (in which she does her outreach), and those along the roadside will be able to access nourishment over the festive period.
Of course, this is something not even Mrs Claus could tackle alone. As such, PawsRehoming is calling on anyone who feels like getting onto the Good List this season to challenge themselves, their friends and their communities to make as many Xmas Box lunches as they can (even if everyone makes one, that’s still one more animal who can enjoy a meal).
Here’s What to Put Inside an Xmas Box Lunch:
Inside a 2-litre ice cream tub:
- A portion of quality dog pellets (these need to be protected in a sandwich bag or something similar to keep ants/moisture/anything unsavoury at bay
- 2 Sachets of ready-made gravy (these need to remain in the sachets)
- Dog-friendly biscuits
- A chew hoof
Puppy friendly-pellets are also welcome as are cat and kitten-appropriate Xmas Boxes (just remember to label the tubs depending on the animal).
The festive feeding will kick-off from 15 December and deliveries can start making their way to PawsRehoming from 10 December.
You can email pawsrehoming@mweb.co.za for delivery specifications or to find out more.
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