One Shoebox at a Time
Marisella Veiga     [Photo]

When Brian Tobares was eight years old, he saw a TV commercial that featured people giving and sharing. He knew it was good.

Tobares sat at a table with crayons and drew a picture to depict the impressive scene. The Christian Children’s Fund ad showed people who wore parachutes and rode airplanes in order to deliver Christmas gifts to children around the world.

“A year later, I saw the commercial again. I told my mom, ‘I want to do that,’” says Tobares, now a 15-year-old high school student. Tobares came to the United States from Colombia at age five.

His mother, Sandra Moreno, listened and took her son’s idea to friends.

“That year we started and it’s been going great every year,” says the boy.

Sandra Moreno is now the president of the six-year-old Jacksonville, Florida, group. The community-based Las Americas Project began its annual drive for donations via a Saturday morning Spanish language radio program Paisano a Paisano on Nov. 12. Members asked the 68,000 Hispanics in northeast Florida to “open their hearts and share from their abundance.”

U.S. Hispanics and others who are concerned with caring for Latin America’s poorest children may want to respond to their call. Contributions are being accepted until Dec. 12.

The project asks for Christmas-paper-wrapped shoeboxes filled with gifts —including school supplies, toiletries, a non-battery operated toy and a small article of clothing and a Christmas card — for the poorest of children in Latin America. Boxes should indicate a recipient’s age and gender.

“We never imagined we’d be able to reach children living in remote areas like Colombia’s jungle,” says Moreno. “We know some children even cross the river in canoes to come to get their little boxes.”

It was a child who initiated the project to benefit other children. And Tobares continues to work to make his wish a reality, along with adults and children who are giving time, talent and funds. As far as Moreno is concerned, it is natural that children are among the best Las Americas Project volunteers.

“They fill those boxes abundantly,” says Moreno.

While some potential donors may be skeptical, those gift boxes do get to the children, she says with assurance. The organization began by distributing 300 shoeboxes in Colombia with the help of the Colombian Air Force. Missionary Ventures International has field coordinators in La Mesa, Colombia. They sign for the packages and help distribute them.

Now, children in other Latin Amercan nations also benefit from the efforts of their U.S. paisanos. LAP collaborates with the Associacion Dominicana in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. A University of North Florida student coordinates efforts for Peru. A New York-based group of friends is working with Guatemala. Venezuela-based missionaries are also working with LAP, although government cooperation has been a little slower, says Moreno.

Last year, LAP sent 4,700 shoeboxes to Latin American children.

The participating adults and children know that their own joy is multiplied by sharing with others. They are living the message brought to us with the birth of the Christ Child. They are spreading love — one shoebox at a time.

For more information call Las Americas Project at 904-992-1433. Visit the website at www.lasamericasproject.com or e-mail questions to lasamericasproject@hotmail.com.

(Marisella Veiga, of St. Augustine, Fla., is a contributing columnist with Hispanic Link News Service. She may be contacted by e-mail at mveiga@bellsouth.net)

© 2005, Hispanic Link News Service
12/04/05
END