Photo courtesy Loni Ballantyne

By Greg Fry

Christmas giving

Woman steps up to help needy kids around the world

Dec 23, 2020 | 11:41 AM

PRINCE GEORGE — A retired school teacher in our area wasn’t going to let the COVID-19 pandemic get in the way of helping needy kids around the world this Christmas.

The Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Project delivers shoeboxes with gifts to meet the needs of children in third-world countries.

The children who receive these shoeboxes live in challenging circumstances such as orphanages, hospitals, and small remote villages.

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Last year Prince George residents contributed over 2,500 shoeboxes to the cause.

Loni Ballayntyne stepped up and delivered 910 – triple her usual haul – during a global pandemic.

“Usually I can deliver shoeboxes to people and they will fill them and give them back to me but this year nobody wants to go shopping,” she tells CKPG Today.

“And I can really understand that. So I thought I’d step up and do the shopping if people gave me a donation. Some people did fill in shoeboxes – about 90 – so I knew if I could get enough money I could step up.”

She says the shoeboxes – filled with everything from toys to hygiene products, were sent overseas last month.