Have you heard of Operation Christmas Child? This program provides an opportunity for people of all ages to be involved in a simple, hands-on project of Samaritan’s Purse that focuses on the true meaning of Christmas.

Each shoebox is filled by Canadians with hygiene items, school supplies, toys, and candy, and is given to children regardless of gender, race, or religion.  When culturally appropriate, copies of a book entitled The Greatest Gift, which has been translated into 130 different languages, are offered to children after the shoeboxes have already been distributed.

Our shoebox arrived last week — Molly, Zoe and Tucker were so excited to begin stuffing it.To get started, we were given a choice of whether to send it to a boy or a girl and choose a designated age group.

 

 

Both of our girls decided they wanted to send theirs to a nine-year-old girl. In addition to personalizing the box with a little note and photo of our family, we stuffed it pretty full with toiletries, school supplies and a friendship bracelet that Molly had made.

Nowadays, it’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. The project was a great way to teach our girls about what Christmas is really about — helping those in need.

History: Operation Christmas Child was started in 1990. In 1993, Operation Christmas Child grew and was adopted by Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization run by Franklin Graham. To date, Operation Christmas Child has collected and distributed over 100 million shoebox gifts worldwide. In 2013, Canadians donated more than 664,000 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for hurting children around the world.

To participate, there are two options:

A. Pack a virtual shoebox online and click on the goodies you like to send. There is still the option of sending a photo and a note to personalize the gift. Visit www.packabox.ca and send a gift any time throughout the calendar year.

B. Pack any box or container that’s the size of a shoebox and drop it off at one of the many collection destinations throughout the Fraser Valley. National Collection Week is Nov. 17 to 23, 2014.

 

In 2014, shoeboxes will be distributed in Uruguay, El Salvador, Guatemala, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Venezuela, Equatorial Guinea, Costa Rica, Guinea, Haiti, Nicaragua, Chile (including Easter Island), and Senegal (listed destination countries are subject to change).

 

 (Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post)