According to a recent Norstat survey, 34% of Estonians send something meaningful to a loved one at least once a year – whether a gift, a surprise, or a small token. Parcels with personal meaning are valued the most: 15% highlight sending a gift to a loved one, while 18% mention sending a parcel intended for a child or a family member.
Building on this trend, SmartPosti is launching Surprise Delivery Day on April 10, aiming to draw attention to small but meaningful gestures in everyday life.
As part of the initiative, one such surprise parcel also reached animals in need. In cooperation with Estonian pet store Bosse, SmartPosti delivered nearly €1,000 worth of high‑quality Monge cat food to the Pesaleidja animal shelter. The surprise was presented to the shelter by stylist and content creator Ženja Fokin, who has for years raised awareness of Pesaleidja’s animals and the importance of standing up for our four‑legged friends.
“People can also surprise animals simply by spending time with them. Often, especially at the beginning of summer, people take in a pet – and once the season ends, the once‑adorable companion may be abandoned in nature. Pesaleidja does incredibly valuable work by offering people the opportunity to meet animals, play with them and spend time together. It’s a good way to understand whether you’re truly ready for that responsibility,” said Fokin.
“A surprise doesn’t have to be big or expensive. Even something simple, made by hand, can change someone’s day. What really matters is the thought behind it,” he added.
According to a representative of Pesaleidja, this kind of support and surprise parcels are extremely valuable and important in the shelter’s everyday work. Janet Mill, Communications and Marketing Manager at Pesaleidja MTÜ, said they are deeply grateful for both the surprise and the initiative.
“These surprises are not just a nice moment – they are very practical help in our daily work. Every donation of food helps ensure that hundreds of cats in our care are fed every day, allowing more resources to be directed toward their treatment and care. It’s heartening to see that, as part of Surprise Delivery Day, care also reached homeless animals. Actions like these show that empathy and compassion extend further – and that even those who cannot choose or ask for help themselves have someone thinking of them,” said Mill.
According to Triinu Luidalepp, SmartPosti’s Head of Customer Experience in the Baltics, the survey shows that sending parcels is not merely a practical service, but also a way for people to express care.
“Often, the value of a parcel lies not in what’s inside it, but in what it represents. Surprise Delivery Day was created to deliberately create more of these moments –both for people and for those who cannot ask for help themselves,” she said.
The idea behind Surprise Delivery Day is simple: to encourage people to pause for a moment and think about whom they could surprise today. Because it is often these small, everyday acts – whether sending a parcel to a loved one or supporting an animal shelter – that create the greatest impact.