I think it is very important to teach our children how to share and love on those that are less fortunate than us. One way that I do this is by participating in Operation Christmas Child.
Each Christmas, we pack boxes for boys and girls and donate them to Operation Christmas Child. OCC takes our boxes and distributes them to children in developing countries (last year our boxes went to Madagascar!). These children walk for miles to the drop off locations to pick up their boxes. My kids love knowing that they are making an impact on a child on the other side of the world!
Here is an example of what we have put in a box for a girl between the ages of 5-8. Here’s what we included:
- Pair of flip flops
- Stuffed animal
- Sunglasses
- Bracelets
- Kleenex
- Play Pack
- Stickers
- Lip gloss
- Soap
- Toothbrush
- Hairbows
- Crayons
- Necklace and Bracelet
- Drawing Pad
- Dora Stickers
We pay $9 on the Operation Christmas Child website to cover their shipping cost. In return, we get a unique barcode that is put on our box and they will email us to let us know where it ends up! You do not get to track your box unless you pay online.
Want to participate? Here’s what you need to know
Get a shoe box, hard plastic shoe box sized container or one of Operation Christmas Child’s boxes and start packing it with items you have that would be age appropriate for the following age groups:
- 2-4 Girl
- 2-4 Boy
- 5-9 Girl
- 5-9 Boy
- 10-14 Girl
- 10-14 Boy
Here are a few ideas on what you could include in your box:
- Crayons or markers
- Coloring book
- Stickers
- Small toys
- Doll
- Stuffed Animal
- Balls
- Jacks
- Hygiene items (excluding toothpaste)
Once you have your items together, check for a Drop-Off location near you by visiting OperationChristmasChild.com before November 25th. If you want to know where your box ends up, you will need to pay the $9 on the Operation Christmas Child website to cover their shipping costs. If you don’t care to know, you can just put a $9 check with your box when you drop it off.
And that is all there is to it! It’s a simple and easy way to make an impact on child half a world away.
The items you packed will be well-received, I’m sure. I’ve been participating in this campaign for the last three years. It makes me happy to think a child will be receiving these gifts, and learning about Jesus. The box I made up this year was for a 10-14 girl.
I’m making six this year and having so much fun! One thing I read online is that a lot of kids can’t go to school unless they have a notebook and pens or pencils, so I’m making sure to put school supplies in each one, even the 2-4 category.
And I’m sorry to sound like a know it all, but I read a lot of blog posts from people who volunteered in the processing centers and just want to share some things that surprised me. When they process the shoe boxes, they put them in a big box and then they are sent off to their destination. It is assumed that each box has a certain number of boxes in it. So if someone uses a really big box (like a boot box), a child might miss out on getting a shoe box because of the extra space the big shoe box is taking up. That was eye-opening for me! Also, the oldest boy category gets the least amount of boxes.
I didn’t know about Operation Christmas Child until I read it on your blog, so thank you! :) I am LOVING this experience!!
We too do this through our church but this year I think we might pay the $7 ourselves and do it online in order to track where it goes! That sounds like it would be fun!
Does anyone think its tacky to find balls and other little gift items that are on clearance from Halloween? I wouldn’t want them to be scary but if they just had halloween colors?
I think that would be fine! I read somewhere that people stock up on bunnies after Easter and bears after Valentines Day to send, so why not? :)
My son and I just finished packing our boxes. I love being able to track the boxes you send and see which countries they go to!
The church I go to is doing these so we don’t have to pay the $7, they’re paying for it. I’ve made 9 so far and it’s so much fun!