Lottie Ryan was in Dublin today to officially launch the annual Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal. The 2FM presenter joined Team Hope to encourage families, friends, schools, community groups and businesses across Ireland to ‘GET PACKING’ and share the gift of hope with needy children by donating a gift-filled shoebox by 10th November.

After smashing all expectations to deliver more than 250,000 shoeboxes to children in Africa, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union last year, the bar is being raised again in 2017. Team Hope is asking people to double their own impact this year by encouraging their friends, family members or colleagues to get involved and ensure that even more children experience the joy of receiving a gift. Every shoebox counts, because every child counts and for these children (whose families typically live on less than €1 a day) this gift from Ireland may be the only present they will receive this Christmas.

To fill as many boxes as possible, why not team up with your friends, family and colleagues to throw a ‘Packing Party’, where everyone takes responsibility for collecting a number of items and brings them all together at your packing party; then donate your shoeboxes before the deadline of the 10th November. In the receiving country Team Hope’s network of partners will deliver the shoebox gifts right into a child’s hands – in hospitals, schools, shelters, churches, orphanages, community centres or family homes.