For several years, our family has beenย participatingย in Samaritan’s Purse –ย Operationย Christmas Child. Operation Christmas Child is a nonprofit program that collects and distributesย shoe boxesย filled with goodies to millions of children in need all over the world.
Since 1993, over 95 million shoe box gifts have been delivered to children in over 130 countries. The gifts provide tangible evidence of Godโs love and often open doors to tell boys and girls and their families about salvation through Jesus Christ.
Getting your family involved in packing shoe boxes is a great way to teach your children aboutย generosity, kindness, and compassion. Check out the video below with my children showing you a little more about what goes into these boxes!
Fill your boxes with items from the Dollar Store, $1 at Target or even things you’ve collected throughout the year – McDonald’s toys, forgotten trinkets from your children, soaps and shampoos from hotels, candy from Halloween… There’s lots of ways to pack your boxย efficientlyย and frugally!
Don’t forget to add a picture of your family and a letter to the child your box goes to. It’s a great way to let them know that you’ve prayed for them andย personallyย selected the items just for them!
Want to get involved? It’s simple!
1. Shoe box
Use an empty shoe box (standard size, please) or a small plastic container. You can wrap the box (lid separately), but wrapping is not required. Most importantly, pray for the child who will receive your gift.
2. Boy or Girl
Determine whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl, and the childโs age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Print out the appropriate boy/girl label by downloading the artwork to the right. Mark the correct age category on the label, and tape the label to the top of your box.
3. Fill with gifts
Fill the box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child. Use the gift ideas provided on the bottom of this page and in our video.
4. Include $7 Donation
Please donate $7 or more for each shoe box you prepare to help cover shipping and other project costs. You can give online by using our โFollow Your Box Donationโ option, or you can write a check to Samaritanโs Purse (note โOCCโ on memo line) and place it in an envelope on top of the gift items inside your box.ย If you or your family are preparing more than one shoe box, please make one combined donation.
5. Drop Off
Place a rubber band around each closed shoe box and drop it off at the collection center nearest you during our collection week, November 12-19, 2012.
Make sure to go online and pay your $7 donation and follow your box to it’s finalย destination!
You can also go online to Samaritan’s Purseย and follow the steps to packing a box at your home or even online – they’ll even do it for you! It’s that easy!
Here’s your chance to make a difference
This holiday season build a box with your family to teach kindness, compassion, and generosity.
BlogFrog will match the first 200 boxes that are built. Pledge your commitment below to build a box today on Facebook or Twitter!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. The opinions and text are all mine.
We did this last year and again this year! It is a blessing knowing you are helping a child!