CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
Thousands of shoeboxes are filling New Hope Community Church this week destined for children worldwide, and there is still time to include your own gifts among them.
Businesses, churches, families and individuals have packed shoeboxes full of small toys, toothbrushes, T-shirts and other gifts for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry program that delivers filled shoeboxes to children in countries in Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia.
Carol Frink has been involved in the organization for 15 years and now coordinates donations at Stanfield Baptist. The church collects a different donation every month – school supplies in August and July during sales, for example – and then packs boxes in November. Local businesses and community members help out both with the donations and the packing, making it a community event.
“These children – many of them in orphanages – only get one shoebox in their lifetime,” Frink said. “They don’t get them year after year. They only get them once. I feel like it’s a way to send a message to a hurting child that has no hope – and the impact is eternal.”
Operation Christmas Child is a ministry program run by Samaritan’s Purse. Anyone can pack a box, and the Samaritan’s Purse offers many tips and suggestions for making the most of the opportunity.
The basic instructions to pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child are:
1. Pick if you’ll back for a boy or girl and the age range: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14.
2. Find a “wow” gift that fits in your shoebox. The organization recommends gifts like an inflatable soccer ball and pump, a baby doll or a harmonica.
3. Fill the box with other items like school supplies, small toys, hard candies or clothes.
In addition, shoeboxes can include a personalized letter or card from the person or family behind the donation, and the recipient may be able to send a letter back once the box is received. If you donate $7 on the organization’s website, you can track your package and know when and where it will be delivered.
Shoeboxes must be unwrapped.
The local collection site at New Hope will accept packed shoeboxes through Monday. For more information about the drop-off, contact New Hope Community Church at 541-567-8441.
