Operation Christmas Child

Samaritan's Purse is a Christian relief organization that's goal is to aid the world's poor, sick, and hungry.  They have many great programs, but one of the most interactive ones is Operation Christmas Child.  The concept is simple- you pack a shoebox (or shoebox sized box) with items for children in need.  You include things like personal hygiene items, school supplies, toys, and just fun things for kids that don't have much.

November 18-25 is the national collection week.  I usually buy little trinkets for my boxes throughout the year and school supplies when they're on sale before school starts.  So, today, I counted up my boxes and ran to the dollar store for a few more odds and ends and then got packing.

HB, the ever helpful cat, getting his big head in my picture.

I ended up having enough goodies for six boxes.  You can't see all the goodies,but there's pencils, sharpeners, kleenex, toothpaste and brushes. socks, some flip flops for 90% off, Lisa Frank sticker books (which, I got to to be honest- I kind of want one for myself), crayons, notebooks, soap, sugar free gum, hair clips, playdough, sidewalk chalk, and harmonicas. 

A cat free picture

So, I packed up my boxes, and tried to group the items by age appropriateness.

The three on the left are for older girls, the three on the right are for younger girls.  They suggest a $7 donation per box to help with the cost of shipping the boxes around the world.  If you pay online, you can print your own box labels with a barcode and they will send you an email to let you know where your box ends up.  Last year, my boxes all ended up in Kenya.  It will be interesting to see where they go this year.

And yes, that is Bailey Bear in a box.  I figured a little girl would get more enjoyment out of it than I would.  In fact, before I take these to my local drop off spot, I hope to get some more Bailey's whipped out for all the other boxes too.

If you are interested in packing your own shoebox, go to Samaritan's Purse for more information, or check out this video.


And then this video to see the end result of all your fun work: