Pack a shoebox, brighten a child's holiday
In the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, there are reminders everywhere to generously help others by giving. One of the biggest reminders to give this season is Operation Christmas Child.
"For a lot of kids, this is the only Christmas present they've ever received," said Frank Christensen, media director at Hosanna! Lutheran Church in St. Charles.
Operation Christmas Child is a program started by the Christian organization Samaritan's Purse, which is led by the Rev. Billy Graham's son, Franklin Graham.
Every year, participants are encouraged to fill a shoebox with toys, school supplies, or personal hygiene items.
The shoeboxes are then gift wrapped, with the lid wrapped separately from the box for content inspection. A label detailing the contents with a gender and age group is placed on the box, which is then dropped off at a local relay center.
On the project's final weekend, volunteers come together to check the contents of each box and pack them into cartons. The boxes are prayed over individually throughout the process and by the congregation as a whole before being sent on their way to poverty- and war-stricken countries. For the fifth year, Hosanna! will be a relay center for shoeboxes. Last year, the church gathered 1,435 boxes from surrounding churches, organizations and businesses, not counting the boxes congregants filled.
"We encourage people to find fun stuff," said Christensen. "It brings joy to kids in terrible circumstances."
Volunteer Deb Cronsell also encourages others to do their part to give a child a happy Christmas.
"It's important to help your neighbors, but people around the world are your neighbors, too," said Cronsell. "These poor children are born into areas where they don't have anything, let alone a Christmas."
Although boxes have certain restrictions on contents, the general rules are easy to follow, and Christensen encourages buying small toys from dollar stores or local Christian stores. In countries where it is allowed, church members even include books about Jesus written in the nation's language.
"Spreading the word of Christ is important," said Christensen. "We're serving the kids by bringing Christ to them."
The idea to bring Operation Christmas Child to Hosanna! Lutheran Church started six years ago, when Christensen and his wife, Christy, heard about the program and saw advertisements for it. It was too late to start the project that year, but the Christensens and other members of the church learned more about the program and started planning for the next year, using posters and brochures to spread the word.
"We jumped into it," said Christensen, "and the congregation loved it."
The project is meaningful to members of the congregation as well as groups in the surrounding areas who use Hosanna! as their relay center, and it brings volunteers together to work for the cause.
The church's senior group assembled almost 400 boxes, while students from a local school packed them, leaving them ready and waiting for congregants to pick up and fill.
"It's one of those things with giving that makes you feel so good," said Cronsell. "Knowing where it's going and what it's for really makes your Christmas a little better."
To donate a box, go to www.operationchristmaschild.com to find the guidelines and a nearby relay center. Donations can include small toys, double-wrapped hard candy or gum, hygiene items, and school supplies.
To help with shipping costs, $7 may be placed in an envelope inside the box. Donations made online come with a tag for the box that, when delivered, will let you know which country your box went to, as well as some information on the country.
Boxes may be dropped off at Hosanna! Lutheran Church Saturday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21; 10 a.m. to noon Sunday, Nov. 22; and 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23. The church is at 36W925 Red Gate Road, St. Charles. Call (630) 584-6434 or visit hosannachurch.com.
For details on Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/index/.