High Peak family collecting shoe box donations for African communities

The Yordor family, Elvis, Kim, Nukie and Lorlor with the pile of supplies they are collecting to send to Ghana. Pic Jason Chadwick

A family in the High Peak are back collecting for the third year to make donations to help poorer communities in Ghana and here’s how you can help.

Kimberley and Elvis Yordor are asking for donations of stationery, toys, games, and sanitary products for their sunshine shoebox appeal.

The husband and wife team are now in their third year of collecting and is a way for Elvis, who is from Ghana, to give back to his home community.

Kimberley, 33, said: “We live in a country with a high material wealth where we have a lot of things, but Elvis who grew up in Ghana knows that not everyone is that fortunate.

Elvis and Kim with a box of pens and pencils, educational supplies are particularly useful. Pic Jason Chadwick

“We were going back every year for him to see his family and always took some basics with us and it has just snowballed into this wonderful community project.”

Kimberley first went to Ghana while at university and she volunteered at an orphanage. After graduating she went back over there and lived in Ghana for five months and met Elvis.

The two were married in 2012 and the following year Elvis’ visa was sorted and he came to live in England. The couple now have two children aged four and seven.

Kimberley, from Dove Holes, said: “We want them to know how lucky they are and in the world there are children who have never had a toy or go to bed hungry and we want to do all we can to help those children have a better life.”The first year of collecting, the duo took out 281 boxes and care packages. Last year when they went out in January they took out almost 200. This year they want to grow again and take out more parcels.

Kimberley said: “We know people are struggling here as the cost of living crisis continues but we also know a small donation from someone here could make a big difference to the life of someone in Ghana.”

Since Sunshine Yordor Shoeboxes was formed, two schools have been helped with stationery and learning essentials - Kodzofe Primary School and Gbi Kpeme Primary School.

They’ve provided a year’s supply of sanitary pads for 131 girls, two mobility scooters, a walker, two wheelchairs, walking sticks and incontinence pads.

Alongside all of this clothes, shoes, toys, books, games and other donations have also been sent out.

This year Whaley Bridge Football Club is donating last season's kit for both adults and juniors and some bikes as well.

“Everyone has been so supportive of the work we are doing and the sense of community here in the High Peak is amazing,” says Kimberley.

“What makes this different from the other shoe box appeals which are out there is we personally deliver the boxes to the children and film and document everything so you can see where your gift has gone rather than just donating and never knowing what happened to your box of kindness.”

Anyone who would like to make a donation to the sunshine shoe box appeal can do so at various locations across the High peak including Dove Holes Primary School, New Mills Primary School and St Mary’s Primary School in New Mills.

A £4 donation is asked for every box to help cover shipping costs or donations can be made via https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/thesunshineyordors