The Shoeboxes made by SugarCRM employees included jewelry and hand- written notes.
Looking for a way to give back this holiday that is easy, high impact and even fun? Look no further than the Shoebox Project, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit that gathers wrapped boxes full of toiletries, socks and other essentials for battered women living in shelters.
The Shoebox Project held its first holiday drive in 2014, and this year, local businesses like SugarCRM and Google are launching their own Shoebox Project events as a way to encourage team building and community engagement. We tagged along to SugarCRM in Cupertino to see what motivated its employees to assemble almost 60 boxes for Family and Children’s Services of Silicon Valley, whose shelter in Palo Alto provides support for domestic violence victims and foster parents.
“We get more than we give…”
Karla Amador-Lumlung, SugarCRM’s Partner Program Manager, helped organize the company’s Shoebox Project event for the second time this year. “We had a phenomenal response to the Shoebox Project effort and people were excited to be part of it again,” Karla said. “It’s a fantastic team building experience, and people walk away feeling that they have done something good for the community and for themselves. By helping women in need through the Shoebox Project, we get more than we give.”
Karla Amador-Lumlung of SugarCRM assembling a Shoebox.
The Shoebox Project: ‘little things’ that make all the difference
The Shoebox Project is based on the simple idea that for women who have fled domestic violence, it’s the little things that help them feel ‘whole’ again, such as warm socks, lotion, shampoo and even a kind note. At Shoebox Project events, people donate toiletries and small gifts and wrap them in a beautiful box to show support for women living in shelters.
And these donations are greatly appreciated by the women who receive them, according to Diana Neiman, President and CEO of Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley. “The people who come to us for help are going through difficult, stressful times with extremely limited financial resources,” she told Palo Alto Pulse. “The shoeboxes assembled with such care and thoughtfulness by employees at SugarCRM, with expert coordination by the Shoebox Project, are a wonderful reminder to women in need that people in this community care about them. Each shoebox with its unique treasures and words of inspiration is a beautiful gesture of compassion.”
A Palo Alto effort that is spreading across the Bay
Sharon Wong, Kerri Berry and Akemi Kodera of the Shoebox Project at SugarCRM
Palo Alto resident Sharon Wong, who started the Bay Area location of Shoebox Project in 2014, gathered 725 boxes last year and is poised to have an even bigger impact as word spreads about this wonderful effort. “I am hearing from people in Oakland, Marin and all over the Bay Area about their interest in starting Shoebox Project drives in their communities,” Sharon said. “Last year, we had folks from as far as Oakland and Marin drive their shoeboxes to our Palo Alto drop off locations” Sharon said. “We were able to support seven shelters from San Francisco to San Jose” This year, Sharon is hoping to find more leaders such as Kerri Berry, to help start Shoebox drives in their communities around the Bay Area.”
“Letting people know they are not alone…”
“Fundamentally, the Shoebox Project is all about the human connection and letting people know they are not alone,” said Sherry Pulvers, SugarCRM’s Vice President of Human Resources and a driving force behind the company’s community outreach program. “When I went to the drugstore to gather supplies our shoebox event, the salesperson confided that she had fled an abusive household herself – that just shows how much need each other.” SugarCRM facilitates several events a month where employees work together on hands-on community service projects, such as Turning Wheels, which assembles bicycles for low-income children in San Jose.
It’s easy to organize a Shoebox Project event for your group or business
To learn more about how to facilitate an event for the Shoebox Project, contact paloalto@shoeboxproject.com or visit http://www.shoeboxprojectusa.org/sf.html.
SugarCRM employees made almost 60 shoeboxes for women in need
Dropoff locations all over Palo Alto: December 7 Deadline
You can drop off a completed box for the Shoebox Project at several residential locations, along with many businesses in Palo Alto and the Peninsula, such as The Bar Method and The Keen Shoe Retail Store. Browse the full list of dropoff locations here. All boxes must be dropped by December 7th.
What goes in a box for the Shoebox Project?
Think of essential items that would be needed for a woman who has left home, such as lotion, shampoo, wipes or make up. The total value of the box should be no more than $50. For safety reasons, please no candles, razors or mouthwash. Wrap the outside of the box lid so it can still be opened and checked.
Here’s a list of suggested items from The Shoebox Project website:
· Socks, scarf, facecloth or sweatshirt
· Full bottles of personal care products- shampoo, body lotion, body wash
· Soap, hand wipes
· Make-up (Lipstick, lip balm, nail polish)
· Pen and paper
· Hair accessories (brush, hair ties, clips)
· Gift cards (coffee shops, drug stores, movie theatre, grocery stores etc.)
· Chocolate, candy such as gum, mints
· Simple jewelry (earrings or bracelet)
· An inspirational quote or note such as “Thinking of you” or “Wishing you peace and happiness”
All Photos by Palo Alto Pulse
The notes in this Shoebox express love and support for women who have suffered from domestic violence
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story of kindness in our community. At Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley, we are tremendously grateful to have received lovingly filled and packaged shoeboxes to share with women we serve. Signs of caring, like this, are a reminder that, even in dark times, people care and that is a very hopeful and beautiful thing.