Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Project
A few weeks ago I learned about a wonderful holiday program called Operation Christmas Child. They provide a shoebox full of toys, school supplies, small clothing items and hygiene supplies to children in need around the world. I was deeply touched by the pictures of the children receiving shoeboxes full of goodies and their expressions of joy and gratefulness.
This year, Operation Christmas Child has a goal to reach its 100 millionth child. Can you imagine having impacted 100 million children in need worldwide? What an amazing way to change the world. Having so much to be thankful for this holiday, I wanted to be a part of Operation Christmas Child’s accomplishing this mission and give back to one of these children in need. Using some of the fun items from our shop, Katarina’s Paperie, mixed with a few necessities, I got to work.
To start the project, you need a standard shoebox. I wrapped it in kraft paper and worked with Little Bug to decorate it.
One of her favorite activities is putting stickers on everything. Although at first she only wanted to put stickers on herself, after watching me place a few, she enjoyed making the box look extra pretty for a special child. This gave me a chance to tell her about all of the kids in need around the world and how this simple act of giving will provide much happiness to someone special.
We packed the box for a little girl between ages 5 and 9. We included a jumprope, watercolor paints, fun pens for school, crayons, activity books, lollipops, and much, much more. Don’t worry – I also snuck in a toothbrush and toothpaste for some surely needed hygiene items as well as a few pairs of socks.
Before we send our box off, we needed to include $7 to help it travel to the child in need. When you pay online, you can follow the box and see when your gift has been delivered to a child. I will definitely keep you updated as our box travels around the world to its final destination. This is National Collection week for the shoebox project, so we can drop the box off at our local church on Friday. It will be great to see such a special gift arrive in the hands of a wonderful young person. You can find out where your local drop off location is here.
Would you like to get involved? You too can pack a shoebox full of goodies for a child in need. For information about Operation Christmas Child, check out their website. It’s a sweet way to give back this holiday season and make a difference to a child in the world around us!
Happy Celebrating,
Natalie
