At a school in Qinghai, a group of children slipped into new shoes and headed for the playground. Within moments, they were running across the field, laughing with friends and getting used to the feel of their new shoes.
It was one small scene from the 2026 Yellow Mailbox Project event in Haixi Prefecture, where Taranis delivered 5,000 pairs of new kids’ shoes. It also captured something that has guided the project since it began: children should have room to move, play, and grow, and they can help make that possible for one another.
Why a yellow mailbox?
Taranis started the Yellow Mailbox Project in 2014 around a simple idea: let children help children. The yellow mailbox gives that idea a place to begin. Children can share letters and drawings, sending a story or a few encouraging words to someone they may never have met.
Over the years, the project has also included shoe donations and the collection of suitable pre-owned shoes. These are different ways of taking part, but they share the same purpose: to pass on something useful, thoughtful, or encouraging to another child.
For Taranis, making kids’ shoes has always been closely connected to the everyday moments children spend in them. A pair of shoes goes to school, crosses playgrounds, and follows a child through new experiences. The Yellow Mailbox Project extends that care beyond the shoes themselves.
A day in Qinghai
This September, the project brought 5,000 pairs of new shoes to children in Haixi Prefecture. The event included a gathering at the school, but the moments that stayed with us happened outside: children trying on their shoes, taking their first steps in them, and then breaking into a run.
The visit was also a chance to look at what comes next. At the event, Taranis shared plans to continue the Yellow Mailbox Project through shoe donations, letters between children, the reuse of suitable shoes, and activities that support children’s growth.
Each part of the plan offers a different kind of connection. Shoes can be worn on an ordinary school day. A letter can help two children learn about each other’s lives. Reusing suitable shoes gives them another opportunity to be worn and enjoyed.
Growing with the children we care about
The Yellow Mailbox Project is entering its thirteenth year. Its shape has changed over time, but its starting point remains the same: kindness is something children can give, receive, and carry forward.
As a children’s footwear brand, Taranis cares about the steps children take every day, from their first confident run across a playground to the many places they will go as they grow. The Yellow Mailbox Project is one way we put that belief into action.
In Qinghai, it began with a new pair of shoes and a playground full of children. The next steps will be taken together.
