As Thanksgiving approaches (and it’s hard for me to believe that it’s November considering our “high” temps here are supposed to be in the 80s today!), I want to focus this month not only for the things that I am grateful for, but also on ways that we can give to others. I’ll be sharing an idea each day of something that you can do to give to others. Some of the ideas are very simple and others are a bit more involved. I’m looking forward to sharing these activities with my family, too.
Today I’ll be focusing on Operation Christmas Child. I first heard about this program two years ago. My two children are one of my greatest blessings, and I always sad this time of year as I think about all of the children who have so little, including the basics. Samaritan’s Purse via Operation Christmas Child provided shoe boxes with gifts to 8 million children last year! The concept of Operation Christmas Child is a simple one: all you do is pack a shoebox to send to a child in need. You can choose to send a box to a child within the following age groups: 2-4, 5-9, and 10-14. We’ll be doing a box for a 2-4 year old boy since my son falls in that age group, a 5-9 year old girl since my daughter falls in that age group, and then my husband and I will fill a box for a 10-14 year old (haven’t decided yet if that one will be a boy or a girl).
There are gift ideas provided here on the site. You may have a number of the items in your stockpile already (hygiene items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, school supplies such as crayons, pens, pencils, and pencil sharpeners, and small toys). I plan to give each of my children some money so that they can pick out a few items themselves to include in the box for their child. You can also include letters and/or pictures. They also ask for a $7 donation per box to cover the cost of shipping. You can drop off your donations the week of November 15th-22nd. You can find donation locations here.
If this sounds like a fun project for your family, you can find all the details about Operation Christmas Child here.
Let me know if your family decides to participate! Please feel free to share other ways your family is giving this month, too!
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