Growing up in a family of 9 kids, Vladimir Prokhnevskiy didn’t get many gifts and food was a luxury.
One harsh winter in Kiev, Ukraine, Prokhnevskiy and his siblings rode a bus and then a tram to get to the church where shoeboxes were handed out. The brightly colored gifts stood out immediately! He was so excited about his gift that time seemed to stand still for a brief moment.
Prokhnevskiy’s favorite items were candy and toys, but he remembers “brushing” his teeth with floss to enjoy the minty flavored string and now having a toothbrush of his own! The shoebox represented to Prokhnevskiy unconditional love that heals everything, allowing him and his siblings to forget their struggles for a moment and just feel loved.