2021 Holiday Shoe Box Project to benefit African Community Education of Worcester

It’s holiday shoe-box time.  Each year around the holidays, UUCW participates in gift giving to the ACE (African Community Education) children of Worcester.  ACE assists these refugee and immigrant children of poor circumstances through academic support, one of many programs available to them.  Our outreach at this time is very important as they have become very much aware of a national climate of unrest and racial injustice.  Let’s not let them down, especially under the current cloud of fear and hate. 

If you’d like to enhance their holidays, please sign up HERE.  Because of privacy issues, we will list the children by first name, still retaining the columns of gender, age, grade and country of origin.  The ages range from 10 to 21.  Please sign up on the horizontal line of the number you have chosen.

Drop off dates: Dec 5, 12 & 19 at church from 1-3 pm.  Please contact for any questions about this project.

Here’s what to do.  

  • Find a shoe box or something of similar size. 
  • Buy gifts that are gender-and-age appropriate. Suggested gifts:
  • hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, earmuffs, leg warmers
  • warm winter socks and fashion socks
  • gift cards to Wal*Mart, Target, etc. . .
  • toiletries (nail file set, lip balm, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, hairbrush, etc…) combs, nail art, barrettes 
  • jewelry
  • games, playing cards, puzzles, indoor soft balls
  • LED flashlight
  • art + school supplies including note pads, pencil sharpeners, paper clips
  • magazines, journals, books, photo albums
  • Place in shoe box (with a note or greeting card if you care to), then wrap with holiday paper and write the name of the child on the box.  Otherwise, we will not know whose gift it is. 
  • Please: no candy, no “violent” toys and no religious items.