By Steff WillisMonday 14 Oct 2024Inspirational StoriesReading Time: 3 minutes
As the festive season approaches, it’s easy to get swept up in shopping lists, parties, and holiday preparations.
But imagine for a moment the joy of a child living in poverty or crisis, who receives a shoebox filled with gifts for the very first time.
That’s the heart behind Operation Christmas Child (OCC), an initiative by Samaritan’s Purse that provides these gifts as a tangible expression of God’s love.
96five’s Jess Drummond caught up with Regional Ministry Leader for OCC Queensland, Dave Wu, to get some tips on how to fill a great shoebox.
“The first thing is a ‘wow item’ – a fun item” Dave said.
“The ‘wow item’ sits on the top of the box so that when the child opens the box it’s the first thing that they see. [This may include] things like stuffed animals, soccer balls, or sports balls – it creates excitement straight away.
“The second thing is, we like a full box – when you do pack a box, that it is a gift for a child.
“The third thing we encourage as well is something personal – you write a letter, include a photo of you or your family or your church, and a little message to that child so that they know that there’s someone out there intentionally packing a box for them.”
How to Pack a Shoebox
- SHOEBOX: Order your pre-printed shoeboxes online or use a regular size shoebox with lid no larger than an A4 page.
- CHOOSE A BOY OR GIRL: Choose a boy or girl and age group (2-4, 5-9 or 10-14) and fill your shoebox with gifts.
- FILL WITH GIFTS: Check out these suggestions for what to put in a box.
- PRAY: Most importantly, pray for the child who will receive your shoebox gift and for their family and community to be transformed by the Gospel.
- LABEL & DONATE: To make sure your shoebox gift gets to a child of the right gender and age, order a label for each of your shoeboxes here. You also have the option to Follow Your Box and discover the destination of your shoebox gifts. Labels offer a way for you to give the necessary $12.50 donation per shoebox to provide for collection, processing, shipping, and other project costs.
- DROP OFF: Take your shoebox gift to a local drop-off location around Australia and New Zealand during collection weeks. Check out your nearest drop off location here.
Dave also suggests some cost-saving ways to take part in OCC among cost-of-living pressures, noting that it is not a competition and that each box will impact an individual child. He invites people to pack boxes as groups e.g., church, school, or community groups.
“Within those groups, [people] often spread the cost and the resources it takes to fill and send a box.
“Some people buy items at specific times of the year [i.e., sales], some people make items, and then some people actually do the fundraising for the boxes, so it’s not necessarily something that needs to be done by yourself.”
More Than a Shoebox
Each shoebox has the potential to touch lives beyond just the gift itself.
“It’s not just a Christmas gift going to a child” Dave said.
“Every child that receives a shoebox has an invitation to participate in The Greatest Journey. The Greatest Journey is a 12-lesson discipleship program that dives deeper into the Gospel message and the story of who Jesus is, and what that means for us.
“Every child can make a decision to opt into that program, which is run after a child receives a shoebox.”
You can now drop off your packed shoebox to a drop off location, this collection period runs until 26th October. While 96five is currently relocating to our new studios, we are unable to take shoebox donations as we have in previous years.
For more information, visit occ.samaritanspurse.org.au/
Feature Image: Children receiving their shoeboxes / Source: Operation Christmas Child