Operation Christmas Child is a popular charity initiative of Samaritan’s Purse is ready to kick off for another year. Now it needs stuffed animals for kids.
Operation Christmas Child packs shoeboxes with various small gifts, items and toys. The boxes then make their way around the world to children in need.
This year the goal is quite massive. The organizers want to reach 12 million children worldwide. Participants in Athens, US want to contribute with more than 27 000 shoeboxes.
Operation Christmas Child details
“The shoebox gifts donated by Athens volunteers … will shine a light of hope to children in poverty living overseas. Anyone is welcome to pack a shoebox and help a child facing difficult circumstances to feel loved and not forgotten,” Brandon Ward, regional coordinator for Operation Christmas Child, said in a news release.
Instruction for packing a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child are available on the initiative’s website at http://sampur.se/2cegu4q. Basically, participants are asked to decide whether they want to pack a box for a girl or a boy in one of three age groups: 2-4 years old, 5-9 years old, or 10-14 years old.
Suggestions for toys to include in the boxes include soccer balls (with air pumps), stuffed animals, dolls, balls, jump ropes and toy cars. School supplies suitable for packing in an Operation Christmas Child shoebox include pens, crayons and solar-powered calculators. Hygiene items included in shoe boxes should not be liquids, but can include bar soaps, toothbrushes and washcloths. Also suitable for boxes are clothing items such as T-shirts, socks and hats.
If the box is wrapped with holiday paper, the lid and box should be wrapped separately, according to Operation Christmas Child guidelines. You have until November 21st to make a box and donate it.
