How-to: Pack an Operation Christmas Child Box

The beginning of November also means the start of the holiday season. However, one international non-profit group celebrates Christmas all year long.

Operation Christmas Child is an organization run by Samaritan’s Purse that delivers small Christmas gifts in shoeboxes to children in third-world countries. The gifts may seem small, but they mean the world to children who may have never experienced Christmas.

If you are looking to give back during the holiday season, packing a shoebox is easy, cheap and meaningful.

Operation Christmas Child’s annual National Collection Week is Nov. 13-20, and there are places to drop completed boxes off in the Macon area.

In Macon, GA, Pine Forest Baptist Church will be collecting the shoeboxes during the organization’s national collection week. In Gray, GA, Greenwood Baptist Church will be collecting boxes as well. For their office hours and to find a location to drop off closer to you, visit their website.

Here are some tips on how to pack a shoebox:

1. Find a shoebox – First, find a cardboard or plastic shoebox that is wide enough to hold a good amount of toys.
2. Choose the box – Decide if the box will be for a boy or a girl and choose the age group 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14.
3. Fill it up – Now is when you can decide what kind of toys or toiletry items to put in the box. You can also include a personal note and photo.
4. Include donation – To make sure your box makes it to its destination, include a $9 donation in the box for shipping costs.

Do’s and Don’ts of gifts:

Do include gifts that will fit the type of box you are making. If it is for a girl ages 2-4, a doll or stuffed animal will make a great gift.

You can also include personal care items such as toothpaste, a comb or soap. School supplies such as crayons, pencils and small coloring books can also go in the box.

Don’t include items such as toothpaste, candy, war-related items, chocolate, seeds, fruit snacks, liquids, medicines or aerosol cans.

Excluding these items will help the boxes reach the children quicker. For a complete list of what not to include you can visit Operation Christmas Child’s website.

Even though the box may seem small, and it can be filled for ten dollars or less, it means so much to children who may have never experienced Christmas.

The boxes will go to over 100 different countries, and they deliver them year round. Even though it seems early to buy Christmas gifts, the shoeboxes have a long way to go before they reach the children that will get them.

Republish