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Transits carry the load, taking close to 110 000 gift parcels to orphanages and children’s homes across Southern Africa
Enough space on board to carry more than 1 400 shoeboxes at a time
PRETORIA, South Africa, 12 December 2014 – Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) has put its commercial vehicle muscle to good use this festive season. It teamed up with the Santa Shoebox project to bring a little bit of Christmas cheer to thousands of kids at orphanages and children’s homes across Southern Africa.
A total of 109 930 gift parcels were delivered this year by volunteers tasked with transporting thousands of gift-filled and wrapped shoeboxes to kids in need in South Africa and Namibia. Two Ford Transits were enlisted to the good cause, covering 7 911km from the start of the campaign on 23 October until the last gift was delivered on 10 December.
“Ford assisting with Santa Shoebox project and spreading the festive joy to children who need it most has been an absolute privilege for us,” said Alisea Chetty, Corporate Communications Manager, FMCSA. “It demonstrates Ford’s willingness to Go Further, while the Transits offer the kind of space, durability and reliability that one can really depend on.”
The Transit Van and Transit Custom, both powered by Ford’s proven 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine, have a combined load volume of 15.5 cubic metres, which provided enough room to accommodate more than 1 400 shoeboxes at a time to be transported to those in need.
“Covering 7 911km in a month is certainly no child’s play,” said Santa Shoebox National Project Co-ordinator, Irené Pieters. “We are privileged to have had Ford as a sponsor this year and are in no doubt that the kind contribution of two Transit panel vans contributed greatly to our continued success.”
Fans of the initiative could follow the festivities by using the hashtag #PresentsinTransit. Santa Shoebox also launched a range of fresh initiatives for its 2014 campaign, including Virtual Box to allow international donors and those far from a designated drop-off zone to make a contribution, and SSB Legacy, a skills development training programme for caregivers at the more than 1 000 Santa Shoebox recipient centres.
