Albertans are encouraged to send a gift to a child in need with Operation Christmas Child Shoebox this upcoming holiday season.
“Since 1993, more than 177 million children in need have received shoebox gifts from people in Canada and all over the world,” said Samaritan’s Purse Canada, News Media Relations Manager Frank King.
“For a lot of these kids, these shoeboxes packed full of things from Canadians, is the first and only gift they will ever receive in their lives,” he said.
Between Nov. 16 and Nov. 22, Albertans are asked to fill shoeboxes with toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and personal notes and photos for children in need in West Africa and Central America.
“Even in countries where the education system is free, quite often the students have to supply their own supplies. In some countries the children do not get an education because their parents struggle so much to make ends meet and survive that they don’t have the money for pencils, and paper. We want to make sure every child gets educated,” King said.
“We like to ask folks to put in a “wow” item, something where the kid’s eyes will pop because it’s so amazing. A good example is a soccer ball, you put a deflated ball in, with the little needle and pump, and image the kid’s eyes when they get a soccer ball that they can blow up and start playing with right on the spot,” he said.
Adding, “Folks should avoid putting in playing cards because a lot of families struggle with gambling. They should also avoid any kind of water pistol or toy knives because a lot of these children have lived through wars, they lived through violence and we don’t want to bring them back to those types of traumatic experiences, and avoid anything with army colours as those colours might represent something very negative for them.”
Once the shoeboxes are collected, they are inspected to ensure there is nothing inside that could harm or scare a child, and there is nothing that could potentially stop the gift from getting through customs.
To ensure each child receives an appropriate shoebox, Samaritan’s Purse Canada relies on local partners in other countries to choose children who will receive a shoebox.
Volunteers then connect with churches who invite the children to a surprise distribution event and hand out the shoeboxes.
“Local partners on the ground ensure that the church gets the right number of shoeboxes, the right genders, and the right age range to make sure every kid there gets a shoebox that is appropriate as possible for each child,” King said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, King is encouraging Albertans to utilize the Samaritan’s Purse Canada online shopping resource to pack a shoebox online.
“Last year approximately 12,000 kids received shoeboxes that were packed online by Canadians. This year, we’re expecting much higher, because it’s the safe way to do it,” King said.
“We try to make the online experience as much as possible like the traditional shoebox experience. When folks pack shoeboxes we suggest they put in a picture of themself and a little note that way when the kids open these shoeboxes, they get to see who these people are giving them a gift. It’s a neat part of the experience,” he said.
To pack a shoebox online please visit, https://packabox.samaritanspurse.ca/.
Shoeboxes can be dropped off at the Strathmore Alliance Church, or the Operation Christmas Child Calgary Processing Centre at 20 Hopewell Way NE Calgary, any weekday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Anyone sending a shoebox is asked to make a $10 donation to cover the cost of shipping.
For additional information, please visit https://www.samaritanspurse.ca/.
