This year I am once again taking part in operation christmas child in making shoe boxes for disadvantaged children across Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. As a parent I know the joy it brings to a child and parent when they receive a Christmas present and they rip into the shiny wrapping to reveal what they have inside, not many children get to experience this joy for many different reasons,but a shoe box full of goodies can change this it can bring the widest smiles to a child who has very little.
operation Christmas child is the largest children's Christmas project in the world, and is run by the christian charity samaritans-purse they have been sending gift filled shoe boxes to disadvantaged children since 1990 and have brought joy to over 94 million children.
last year alone people got involved they wrapped and packed around 1.1 million shoe boxes.
If you and you family would like to get involved please click here to find out how
Last year we managed to fill 3 boxes and passed them onto my sons school but this year I am hoping to fill a lot more than 3 but to do this I need help, if any company has any products that they would like to donate please contact me on mummy2five@live.co.uk a product list is below of things to pack in a shoe box, I am happy to display your company logo with a link attached to it as a way of saying Thank you. The more products I receive through donations means I can make more boxes for the children. I love taking part & knowing I have done my bit it making sure a child will that would normally not have a present at Christmas will have one with my help.
Things to put in your shoe box
toys- bear, soft toy, tennis ball, finger puppet, jigsaw, yo-yo, building blocks, small musical instrument,
for boys- truck, cars etc
for girls dolls clip on earings etc
educational supplies-felt pens, pens, pencil, pencil crayons, eraser, sharpener, colouring book, note pad, picture or puzzle book, chalk, stickers etc
Hygiene items- toothbrush, tooth paste, flannel, bar of soap, hair brush or comb bobbles, hair clips etc
other items- sweets( sell by date must be at least march the following year), gloves scarf hat. sun glasses, cap, bangles, necklaces
you should include 1 or more things from each catagory
please don't send
No Food
especially chocolate - non-chocolate sweets are allowedNo medicine
or vitamins of any kindNo war related items
toy guns, soldiers or knives of any kindNo clothing
other than listed aboveNo fragile items
glass containers, mirrors.No liquids
including blow bubbles, shampoo, bubble bath, toiletry sets or aerosols.No dangerous items
sharp objects, scissors or razorsNo novels
Nothing of a political nature
No hand-knitted stuffed toys without a CE mark
Knitted items that can be sent are here
If you would like to be involved yourself & make up your own shoe boxes you will need to attach a label below & also donate the cost of postage.
once your box is decorated you need to decide if your box will be for a male/female and what age group then you need to attach the appropriate sticker
please don't forget to include £2.50 to help with the distribution cost you can pay here then download and print the bar code place it in your shoe box and you will receive an email that will let you know where your box went to.
Thank You
for your kind donation
I love operation christmas child these poor children should have a happy healthy life.xxxxx
ReplyDeleteI will not be doing this appeal this year and I am desperately trying to find a scheme where the shoeboxes are actually sent to the children in the UK who are in poverty. It is an issue that is skirted around too much and it is so current and there are far too may cases.
ReplyDeleteAfterall charity starts at home. Lets get our children helped first, don't you think?!!
Hi Anonymous,
DeleteI have searched for such scheme & have been unsuccessful in finding one in the UK. Children are children to me, the country they live in does not even come into it.
Barnardos are doing the toy exchange with Argos & most local hospital children wards will accept a toy to give to a child this Christmas.
I agree that children in this country are also living in poverty Anonymous but I also support OCC. I think it is very difficult to give similar presents to children in this country as their expectations are so much higher. I have seen a child in Swaziland get excited about a face cloth that she found in her Shoebox. I have worked with families living in poverty in this country and I know that most of those children would not appreciate the contents of the Shoeboxes we help to send overseas.
ReplyDelete