BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – Operation Christmas Child is a project run by Samaritan’s Purse that collects shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies and personal care items and then distributes them to children around the world.
“The boxes are filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items,” said Debbie Young, the Bowling Green Area Coordinator for Operation Christmas Child. “They are sent to children all over the world and the idea is to show God’s love in a tangible way. For many of these children, these shoeboxes filled with gifts are the first gift they have ever received in their lives.”
Operation Christmas Child began in the summer of 1993 when the president of Samaritan’s Purse received a call from a man in England asking if he could fill shoeboxes with gifts for children in Eastern Europe.
Since then, the project has collected and delivered over 220 million shoebox gifts to children in over 170 countries and regions. In 2024, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach an additional 12 million children.
Young has been volunteering for the project for several years.
“I’ve probably been packing shoeboxes for 25 years,” she said.
Young began her career as a drop-off center manager and, after her retirement, prayed for another opportunity to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives.
“I filled out an application that was mailed to me and sent it off. That was eight years ago. I became a year-round volunteer as a member of the church relations team,” she said. “The next year, I was asked to pray for the area coordinator position, which meant I had the responsibility of leading a team of volunteers.”
To pack a box yourself, all you need is a standard-sized shoebox, select the age and gender of the child you’re packing for, and fill the box with gifts.
These items could include a stuffed animal, an outfit, school supplies, crayons, a coloring book, and more.
“I have Play-Doh and a little backpack because the kids have to bring their stuff home and a lot of them walk miles, so a backpack is wonderful,” she said. “(There are also) little toys that they can have fun with, just fun things that get them excited because for a lot of them, this is the first gift they’ve ever gotten in their lives.”
Items not included include, but are not limited to, candy, toothpaste, used or damaged items, war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figurines, seeds, chocolate or food, liquids or lotions, medicines or vitamins, fragile items such as snow globes or glass containers or aerosol cans.
Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to determine the destination.
Young has also traveled abroad and witnessed the joy and happiness of the children as they opened the boxes. One of her recent trips took her to Nairobi, Kenya, where she rode a bus into the slums and saw all the poverty.
“Everywhere we looked, the stench was unbelievable. Sewage was running along the side of the road. There were piles of garbage everywhere, and I was just devastated by the destruction. We came to this children’s home for our first distribution. I walked in, and there was a room full of 270 children, and they were so excited, singing praises to the Lord, performing songs,” Young said. “Then when they received their shoebox gift, they were so happy, with smiles on all their faces, screaming and shouting, shouting with joy, and they were told the story of Jesus and how he came to redeem us from our sins, and so we brought hope to these children through a simple shoebox gift.”
If you would like to learn more about packing a box, there will be an open house and packing party on September 7th from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the South Central Baptist Association building, 6448 Scottsville Road.
Young will also share more about her story from Kenya at the event. Shoebox drop-off locations in Warren County include Christ Church at 716 Cave Mill Road or First Baptist Church at 621 E 12th Street.
National Collection Week takes place from 18 to 25 November.
If you would like to volunteer for Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org and click on the “Get Involved” tab.
All rights reserved.
