Operation Christmas Child

If you haven’t heard of Operation Christmas Child, here is a brief summary directly from the Samaritan’s Purse Website:

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

Operation Christmas Child focuses on the true meaning of Christmas – Jesus Christ – God’s greatest gift. Separate from the shoe box and when culturally appropriate, we offer children “The Greatest Gift of All,” an illustrated Bible storybook in the local language. When possible, children can further explore a faith in Jesus Christ through a voluntary Bible study program.
The main donation item is the shoe box. To participate in giving your own shoe box, you simply:

Find a shoe box for giving.
Choose the age and gender the box will be packed for. Age groups are: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. (Boys ages 10-14 are the most needed.)
Print a label to include with your box for sorting purposes.
Fill the box with age/gender appropriate gifts.
Include $7 in an enveloped marked “shipping” inside the box placed on the top.
Label the box with the age/gender for the child. Place a rubber band around the box to ensure no contents fall out during shipping.
Pray over your box for the lives it will touch. This is just a personal step that is simply the most important!
Find a drop-off location to drop your box off. All boxes are accumulated and mass shipped to one location for overseas shipment. The collection week for most locations is November 16-23.

If you don't have a shoe box, Family Christian Stores are giving them out for free. Also, word on the street is that CVS will donate a toothbrush and toothpaste when you tell them what it's for...you may want to bring your box in just to be safe. I normally set a budget of $20 to fill the box, which is easily done at Dollar Trees.