the success of the heartwarming “Gift Boxes”

There are small gestures that may seem symbolic, but which are very heartwarming. For the second year in a row, many of you made “gift boxes” for those on the street. A shoebox in which we slip warm clothes, delicacies and other surprises, all wrapped in gift wrap. This year, the Côte d’Or Red Cross received 925!

These boxes are distributed during the holidays to people who go in the evening to the distribution of hot meals in the street. Place Darcy in Dijon, around twenty people gather around the association’s vans. We come there for a hot coffee, a soup or a sandwich. We also discuss, and the volunteers give each one of these gift boxes, Catherine and Manu do not resist the urge to open it right away. “So, we find cakes, chocolates, there is a scarf .. and oh also a shower gel, that’s nice” comments Catherine. We lift objects, and we also discover card games “and there is a nice drawing made by a child, so we really love the Red Cross “ concludes this brunette with sparkling eyes.

It’s my first gift “-Liliane

Liliane and her friend stay a little apart. Liliane serves the long box wrapped in brown paper, and promises to open it quietly at home. “This is my first gift of these holidays, yes it is the first” she confesses.

These boxes come from everywhere, they were made by inhabitants of the agglomeration, employees of companies, associations. Each donation is anonymous. At the Red Cross, it is Victor who takes care of their distribution: “Last year, many people who received a box were very touched, especially by the children’s drawings or the little words of adults. And until April I received messages in return from the beneficiaries. who wanted to thank the donors. This year, we have more than 900 boxes. We cannot find those who made them, so we thank them all via our social networks! “

Christophe Talmet, and Victor at the head of this operation in Côte d’Or © Radio France
Olivier Estran

These people have heart, I congratulate them “- Salim

Sandwiches in hand, Salim and Fabien are happy to tell us about the content of their gifts. “Look, I had a sweater, a scarf, a hat, it really is useful” smiles Fabien. “So I have cakes, a magazine, and even Adidas perfume “ exclaims Salim. “Frankly, even my friends don’t give me that much. Even without talking about that, the Red Cross volunteers have a good heart, that’s very very good. I congratulate them!”

The distribution of boxes will end on December 31 in the agglomeration of Dijon. And for the new year, the Red Cross promises many other solidarity operations.


source site-38