A Box for Christmas: Tips for an OCC Packing Party

This week has been absolutely crazy and somewhat heartbreaking (maybe more on that later), but this week also marked one of my favorite events of the year...Operation Christmas Child Collection Week!!!  To get my mind off some not so fun stuff, I want to share a little more about this ministry with y'all!!!

Brett and I are year-round volunteers with Samaritan's Purse and right now we are serving as relay center coordinators, which means we host a drop off location.  Last year, our first year as a drop-off we collected 249 boxes!  This year, our church alone packed about 235 boxes!!! (Final counts to come in tomorrow! Watch for update!!!)

Last year I shared some ideas of items to put into a box and WHY they are good suggestions.  This year I wanted to share some tips on organizing a packing party.

1.  From my post last year you can see how some items can be really important in these boxes, so these items I recommend buying in bulk for your "goal" number of boxes.  School Supplies, Soap, Toothbrushes, & other hygiene items.  Two ways to do that are coupon-ing (all year or a few good trips before packing) and Amazon.com, especially with a Prime membership.  You can even support the ministry further by selecting "Samaritan's Purse" through Amazon Smile! HERE are some Amazon items.

2.  Have multiple people/small groups collect "WOW" items.  This will create a diversity in your items.  Plus you will all get ideas from each other; we had outfits, sports equipment, large toys, musical instruments, tools, large sewing kits...  It really is exciting to see what others come up with!

3. Be organized.  The level or organization necessary will depend on your group... the size, avg age etc.  Our group was large and included all ages.  We created a packing "buffet" of sorts; we started with a box, and went through a line of tables picking items that we sorted out into categories.  The last table was a misc pile of "filler items."

4. Don't forget to make them personal.  One of the main things we have run into when packing multiple boxes is forgetting to ad an individual personal touch on each box.  The filler items are the first way to do this.  When each "packer" gets to the table with multiple random items, it will give them a chance to pray "what will the child receiving this very box want/need?"

 - The second is to include a personal letter and/or even a picture.  Give that child an opportunity to see that a real person is on this side of the box loving and praying for them.  At the end of the packing line have a empty table available to sit and take time to write out a note or at least a few words!  Or even use this fun sheet to give them a little info about yourself!

5. Pray as a group over the boxes.  There is something about circling around the boxes as a group and inviting Jesus to go before them, to prepare the hearts to receive His message when they receive this small simple gift.

Each year I am blessed more and more to be a part of this ministry.  I would love to answer any questions you may have about packing a shoe box.  Click HERE for more information on our involvement with OCC.

Fun & Eternal; What to pack in your shoe-box and why

As I mentioned before, November was crazy and exciting.

Sometimes I look at our calendar and think, "we over did it," "we should have said no," or "when will things slow down?"

But when I am passionate about something, I want to be involved in it.

Last year while packing our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, I was so surprised to discover how many people from our church and community didn't know anything about this amazing ministry.  So the last week before collection week we scrambled to tell people about it and were so greatful that our little church packed over 40 boxes!

Over the last year Brett and I felt God calling us deeper into the ministry, so we signed up as year-round volunteers and became a new relay center, or drop-off location!  We had no idea what this year would be like since there are still so many people in our little community that aren't aware of the difference Samaritan's Purse is making around the world, but mostly that THEY (YOU) can be apart of it!

This November I am thrilled to say that our church more than doubled the number of boxes they packed and we had 250 boxes dropped off, mostly from first time packers.  Now I know that if we are comparing, this doesn't sound like a lot, but y'all, we were ecstatic and can't wait to see what God does next year!!!

And take a look at some of the help I had...

Also we will be attending the processing center in Dallas again this year, it was a huge blessing last year and I cannot wait!!!

Soooo, maybe you aren't familiar with the difference you can make with just a shoe box!!!

Here are some ideas to put in your shoe-box, but I am also going to tell you Why they are important, you might notice this list is a little different than a typical kids "wish list!"

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School Supplies: notebooks, pens, pencils (don't forget sharpener & erasers), crayons, calculators, safety scissors (yes you can send them), glue sticks (NOT bottled liquid)

For many kids, having school supplies is a requirement to go to school.  If the family does not have money to purchase school supplies, often that means the kids are not allowed to go to school.  Receiving school supplies gives a lot of children the opportunity to attend school that they might not otherwise have!

Hygiene Items: washcloth, bar soap (no liquid), toothbrush, toothpaste, combs/hairbrush, plastic mirror*, chapstick

Many of the shoe-box recipients live in orphanages, where EVERYTHING is shared.  Simply having their own washcloth can mean everything to a child!  Most people in poverty still appreciate cleanliness, they likely just lack the necessary tools. 

*Don't send breakable glass. Although we see a mirror in multiple rooms of every building, a lot of other countries do not have mirrors so prevalent; and having a camera or getting your picture taken cost money.  It is not unlikely that someone in poverty has never seen themselves or know what they look like! 

Trade Tools: (10-14 age) hammer, nails, (no knives) duct tape, compass, flashlight, sewing kit, fat-quarters, crochet hooks/knitting needles, yarn

In many circumstances, some of the financial responsibility falls to the children of the family.  Giving them the tools to learn safe, ethical trades, will help prevent them from falling into slavery traps, & set them up to earn a living for a lifetime!

Clothing: hats/gloves, shoes**, socks, simple outfit 

Something we so easily take for granted! For impoverished children, the clothes they do have are usually already worn out and have been thrown out by someone else.  They won't have many and what they do have will be hand-washed, which wears them out much faster.  Having shoes can prevent foot injuries that would likely become infected.

**a pair of tennis shoes or boots would obviously take up an entire shoe-box, think of other options such as flip-flops, crocs, water-shoes, canvas slip-ons etc.

Other: water bottle, lifestraw 

Clean water is hard to come by in many areas around the world, having a water bottle can allow the child to take more than a single drink, hydration is very important to health! 

Fun stuff: small knick-nack toys, hard candy (no chocolate), hair accessories, coloring book

Every kid needs to feel like a kid!!!

WOW item: stuffed animal, soccer ball, ball cap, doll, musical instrument, 

Any larger item that will immediately catch the child's attention when the box is opened!

Personal Notes: pictures of yourself, letters, about me coloring page, name and address

A personal note to a child is the heart of the box, tell them they are loved, show them someone on the other side of the world is thinking of them! In some cases the children may be able to write back.

DO NOT Send: liquid, weapons, war related items, nail polish, glass or breakable items, high value jewelry or other items, used items, food, medicine, aerosol cans.

Liquid or breakable items, as well as melted candy can damage other gifts in the box and other shoe-boxes, high value items can put the child in danger.

Pray

Pray while you are making selections for your box, somewhere, the child that will receive your shoe-box, is praying for a specific item.  Pray over your box and the child that will receive it.

I hope this has been helpful, it sure has got me excited all over again! If you like to plan ahead, Samaritan's Purse has a calendar for purchasing items year round!!!

Click Here for more ideas!!!
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Here are a few pictures from our family packing party...

Can you tell what the guys have been doing!?

Operation Christmas Child

One of my favorite ministries we are involved in is Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes! 

Every year Samaritan's Purse delivers shoeboxes full of gifts to children around the world!  Packing these boxes is the most fun I have ever had giving a gift!  It is so humbling to see a list of suggested items and to think about a small child wanting or needing certain items for Christmas.  Along with receiving a box full of clothes, hygiene items, and small games, every child hears the gospel preached.  The boxes are distributed by local churches, building relationships with the children and their families. 

Sometimes we get to see what country the boxes we pack are delivered to, and occasionally it is possible to become pen pals with the child that receives our box.  It is amazing to hear a testimony of how the simple gift of a small packed shoebox can change a child's life forever. 

Starting this year, Brett and I will be coordinating a new drop off location in hopes to increase the number of shoeboxes our community can collect and disperse around the world!

Volunteering at the packing warehouse last year was one of the biggest blessings and so much fun! We are already scheduled to go back this year and hope to make it a yearly tradition!

For information on how you and your family can send a shoebox around the world, visit the Operation Christmas Child website.

To see more about our involvement with Operation Christmas Child CLICK HERE!!!