By Michelle Crean

Children receiving gifts through the Team Hope Shoebox Appeal will be thrilled on Christmas morning thanks to the generous nature of Kerry people.

EXCITED: Excited to be donating shoeboxes to the Team Hope Shoebox Appeal were the pupils from St John’s National School Kenmare on Monday. Photo: Grigoriy Geniyevskiy

HELPING: Helping others by donating shoeboxes to children in need were the pupils from Réalt na Mara National School on Monday. Photo: Grigoriy Geniyevskiy

Hundreds of shoeboxes packed with gifts for children across the world were squeezed into the Killarney Advertiser's van this week - ready to be shipped abroad - and to put a smile on their faces.

In recent weeks the Killarney Advertiser office on High Street has been the designated drop off point coordinated by the Killarney Advertiser's Business Development Manager Chris Davies.

The response has been phenomenal with boxes coming every hour of the day since. And it doesn't stop there as the date for the shoebox appeal has been extended, and there's plans for another collection by our staff to go out again next week.

“It’s great to have the shoebox appeal back up and running again this year and people have really got behind it once more," Chris said.

"We could hardly close the back door on the Killarney Advertiser van when we left Cahersiveen Monday evening and we will be out again next week collecting from some of the locals schools. Just to let people know, although the official deadline for the collection was supposed to be Monday, November 8, we will continue to take shoeboxes up until November 19 at the Killarney Advertiser office on High Street, so there is still time to get your box in. Thank you to all the volunteers for the great work they are doing in the checking centre the past two weeks getting the boxes ready for the children in Africa, and also to everyone who has donated so far."