It’s Day Four of our Season of Giving here at MomStart. I just realized that my family and I are doing something that I wanted to mention and it fits perfectly here in Summer’s monthly theme. So I gave Summer the day off. Here is My Day Four Season of Giving post:
Operation Christmas Child National Collection Week (Nov. 14 – 21) is almost here! But it’s not too late for your family to join the fun! There is still time to bring hope to suffering children overseas. Our family has a lot of fun putting together the boxes. We did this last year and we’re doing it again this year.
A kids-helping-kids project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, Operation Christmas Child hand-delivers shoe boxes packed with school supplies, toys, necessity items and often a hand-written note of encouragement.
We’re lucky enough that our church provides everything we need to get started right down to the shoe box. We just fill the box with our own goodies and blessings. You and your family can pack a shoe box gift with school supplies, toys, necessity items, candy and a letter of encouragement. Step-by-step shoe box packing instructions are available at Samaritan’s Purse.
Pick Boy or girl, since I have one of each we picked one boy and one girl. The ages depended on what I had to put in the box. So I ended up with a Boy age 5-9 and a girl age 2-4. We filled them with arts and craft supplies, games, toys, candy and some toothpaste and toothbrushes.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has hand-delivered shoe box gifts to more than 77 million hurting children in more than 130 countries. Staff and volunteers use whatever means necessary ships, trucks, buses, trains, airplanes, boats, camels, even dog sleds to deliver the boxes.
Samaritan’s Purse uses tracking technology that allows donors to “follow your box” to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need. To register shoe box gifts and find out their destination country, use the EZ Give donation form found at www.samaritanspurse.org.
You can help by filling your own box OR help spread the word about this project by enlisting other families, churches, scout troops, community groups and businesses to take part in impacting a life. To volunteer or learn how to pack and send an Operation Christmas Child shoe box gift, call (800) 353-5949 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org.
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If you have not heard about this before you should take a look. Kids and families wrap and pack empty shoe boxes with simple items most people take for granted, including toys, school supplies, and toothbrushes. A lot of churches do this, that’s where my family first learned about this wonderful project. It’s so easy to do too. Operation Christmas Child collects the gift boxes and hand-delivers them to hurting children around the world using whatever means necessary—sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, helicopters, boats, camels, even dog sleds. 
