Operation Christmas Child

'Tis the season for giving thanks and sharing with those less fortunate. Typically I donate money to causes I like to support. But this year I'm thinking about how to start bringing the spirit of giving home to my girls. I think writing a check or entering a credit card number online, while important in some cases, is meaningless to a child.

So I've decided to pack some shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, a program of Samaritan's Purse to give shoeboxes full of gifts to children in impoverished countries. I have been talking with Miss about giving things to little boys and girls who don't have many toys. We are sending two boxes for kids between 2 and 4 years old, one boy and one girl. We went on a shopping spree at Target, and as she "oohed" and "aahed" over the toys and other items I put in the cart, I repeatedly told her that they were not for her to keep but were to send to a child who didn't have nice things to play with. I don't think she really understood, but at least she heard the message.

Today we wrapped and packed our boxes. Well, I did. Miss was interested in other things like walking her baby dolls in her toy stroller.

She did get very interested once I got the toys out and the brightly colored paper to wrap the shoe boxes. Unfortunately, she was so interested I couldn't actually get the boxes put together. The paper was ripping, the tape was pulled all over, and of course she wanted to play with all of the toys. I have to admit, as much as I wanted to let her help, I picked it all up off the floor and put it together myself on the kitchen table.
I wasn't really sure how much the boxes would hold, and there's still a bit of room left in the boxes, so we'll be making another Target trip tomorrow to get some more items to get them completely full. We will also write a note to put in each of the boxes. Then we'll take them to our local drop of point so they can get sent to some children in need. And even though I didn't let Miss participate much in the actual packing of the boxes, I will continue to tell her what we're doing with them and where they're going as we finish the process of getting them sent. We will track the boxes to find out which country they are being sent to.

This week is the National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child, so if you want to pack a shoebox or two, this is the week to do it. It's so easy and fun! Here is some info on how to pack a shoebox.

We will also be participating in a local charity like an Angel Tree or something similar, to give to others closer to home. I am excited to make these types of projects a yearly tradition for my girls, so they get a good example of the importance of giving to those less fortunate.