Children suffering in impoverished countries are waiting to see if they will be lucky enough to get a gift this Christmas, and you can help.
Operation Christmas Child asks you to fill a simple shoebox with small toys, school supplies and hygiene items topped with a $7 donation. Those boxes will be hand-delivered to children who may otherwise receive nothing this Christmas. Organizers with Operation Christmas Child hope the boxes will mean the difference between another day of suffering and a day of happiness and hope.
"Getting school supplies means that a child can go to school, where otherwise they wouldn't have been able to. That can make a huge difference in their lives," said Martha Schroth, a Gibsons resident who works with Operation Christmas Child yearly to distribute shoeboxes and information pamphlets on the Coast.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of the non-profit society Samaritan's Purse. It serves to let children around the world know they are special and they are loved.
Schroth puts together 30-plus shoeboxes herself yearly. She always remembers to slip in a self-addressed envelope in case the child who gets her present wants to write back to her.
She has a large pile of letters she has received from children over the years thanking her for the gifts she sent and explaining the impact the gifts have made. Some are in English and some need to be translated, and all hold a sad message about life in the respective countries, the difficulties children face daily and the gratefulness felt toward Schroth for taking the time to reach out and give.
"I get a lot out of it. I really enjoy it. We have so much here in Canada and we need to be less selfish. We need to share with these children who have so much less. They are incredibly thankful for the smallest of dollar-store gifts. They find such joy in them, and in most cases, the shoeboxes are the only Christmas gifts these children will receive," Schroth said.
Through Operation Christmas Child you can chose whether you would like to create your shoebox for a boy or a girl in three different age categories: two to four years, five to nine years or 10 to 14 years.
Gift ideas for the shoeboxes include small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, musical instruments, yo-yos, skipping ropes and Slinkies. It is also recommended school supplies such as pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, writing pads or paper, solar calculators and crayons be included. Hygiene items needed include a toothbrush (or several as the entire family generally uses the toothbrush) and toothbrush cover, toothpaste, soap and soap container, comb and washcloth. Other items Operation Christmas Child encourages to be included are hard wrapped candies, T-shirts, socks, ball caps, sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewellery and watches.
On the do-not-include list are food items like chewy candy and gum, used items and anything that would melt or freeze, leak or break, scare or harm a child.
Last year Schroth volunteered at Operation Christmas Child headquarters in Calgary to find that thousands of shoeboxes included items from the do-not-include list. Things like shampoo and conditioner as well as food items not allowed were pulled out often by volunteers checking the boxes.
"It's important for people to know these items are not allowed by order of the countries the boxes are going to. It's not up to Operation Christmas Child," she said.
Boxes that were gutted in Calgary were repacked with items from the "shoebox hospital," a wall of items donated by local businesses, while disallowed items were shipped off to shelters and children's hospitals. Nothing was wasted, said Schroth.
After working at the Calgary headquarters, Schroth decided the next step for her will be to travel to one of the countries the boxes go to and hand them out as a volunteer.
"I talked with people who have done that and their stories are so touching. I want to see it firsthand," she said.
In the meantime, her mission locally remains the same: to ship as many boxes from the Coast to Operation Christmas Child as possible. Last year 362 shoeboxes were shipped from our shoreline, and this year Schroth hopes to break 400.
She invites those who want to take part in Operation Christmas Child to contact her at 604-886-8545 so she can make sure people receive an information brochure complete with do and do-not include items. She has shoeboxes available but notes Rubbermaid shoeboxes are well used in the countries they travel to. Community members wishing to take part can also drop by her home at 1073 Grandview Rd. in Gibsons to pick up a box and brochure. Once filled, boxes can be dropped off at that address as well.
Schroth, with the help of Gibsons Building Supplies, will make sure the boxes get to the warehouse in Vancouver and then shipped to Calgary where they will be inspected before making the long journey to the children who need them. A $7 donation to be included in each shoebox covers the entire cost of shipping and handling.
This year boxes from B.C. will be going to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Bolivia. The deadline for boxes to be returned to Schroth is Nov. 8.
Last year seven million shoeboxes were shipped to needy children across the globe through Operation Christmas Child, and many more were needed.
For more information, phone Schroth or go to www.samaritanspurse.ca/occ.
