Send a Shoebox Gift of Hope and Love in Time for Christmas!
By: Hope 103.2
Last year, more than 10 million Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes were packed across the world – 10,505,155 children were told they are loved because of this simple gesture.
It’s that time of the year again to prepare, pack and send more gift-filled shoeboxes to children in developing countries who have very little.
What is Operation Christmas Child (OCC)?
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organisation. This project is a hands-on way for you to bless children in need across the world by filling shoeboxes with toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and fun gifts.
We collect the gift-filled shoeboxes and send them to local partners around the world that use them as a means of reaching out to children in their own communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ. After receiving gift-filled shoeboxes, many children are invited to participate in The Greatest Journey discipleship program – a 12-lesson discipleship course offered by local churches to many of the children who receive shoebox gifts – and millions of children each year are making decisions to follow Christ.
Since 1993, more than 198 million children in more than 170 countries and territories have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. The project delivers not only the joy of what, for many kids, is their first gift ever, but also gives them a tangible expression of God’s love.
In 2021, Australia and New Zealand sent 210,182 shoeboxes to Cambodia, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Madagascar, Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Globally, there were more than 10.5 million shoeboxes collected and sent to over 100 countries and territories.
All of Samaritan’s Purse’s projects, including OCC, are given and provided with “no strings attached” and without regard to the race, creed, gender, religion or ethnicity of the beneficiaries.
“It is a hands-on way for you to bless children in need across the world by filling shoeboxes with toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and fun gifts.”
DIY: How to pack a shoebox
Follow the below link for tips on how to fill a shoebox, or take ideas from the graphic below.
6 easy steps to DIY a gift-filled shoebox
A donation of $10 per box is essential to cover shipping and other project costs.
Don’t have time? Pack a shoebox online!
A few simple clicks and OCC can pack a gift-filled shoebox on your behalf!
The items that are packed in each Pack A Shoebox Online shoebox order are preset based on gender and age:
The $30 includes packing, shipping, and distribution in the country. Pack a Shoebox online is available in Australia and New Zealand. You can pack as many shoeboxes as you like for boys and girls of different
ages.
Whichever option you choose, most importantly, pray for the child who will receive your shoebox gift and for their family and community to be transformed by the Gospel.
Watch Video: Gift Ideas for Christmas Shoeboxes
Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.
Feature image: Supplied
