Team swaps scrubs for shoeboxes at Christmas

By Chris Cornford Nov 4, 2020

The team who made over 2,000 sets of scrubs for the NHS during the Covid pandemic are getting into gear for another marathon effort, this time to make sure that Island kids having a tough time over the festive break get a little bit extra from the Island community this Christmas.

Nikki Morris, Alysa Shirley and members of For the Love of Scrubs, the group who sewed themselves into Island folklore, are setting up a scheme to put together shoeboxes full of small gifts and treats for children who may otherwise find Santa leaves them less than they wish for. They are busy organising an Islandwide network of collection points for kind-hearted Islanders to donate either filled shoeboxes or small gifts to be added to other items to make up boxes over the coming weeks.

Alysa explained: “We are going to be doing things slightly differently to other appeals. We know there are some great schemes out there to help kids known to social services and charities, including the annual Isle of Wight Radio Toy Appeal. We are planning to work with the schools, who also know the youngsters whose families are only just managing through these tough times. We know how amazingly generous our Island community is and hope Islanders will also support this campaign to spread the Christmas cheer a little bit wider after this difficult year.
Purchases from the group’s Amazon wish list are already coming in to the campaign – even before it has properly got off the ground – to the delight of the team.
Alysa added: “Many people have been furloughed and are living on a percentage of their usual salary or have even lost their jobs. For them, Christmas will bring extra worry and strain instead of joy. We can’t do everything, but if we can help,even just a little bit, it will be worth it.”

The IW Observer team are delighted to be working with this impressive group of ladies to help them bring smiles to small faces. We’ll bring you regular updates on the campaign and details of how to get involved from next week. In the meantime you can find out more, including the link to the Amazon wishlist on their Facebook Page – @iowshoeboxappeal.