Congratulations to all those who gave so generously to make the 25th Operation Christmas Child such a resounding success.

It is amazing what can be achieved when a community commits to effecting change and assistance to others.

I suggest that we need to use that spirit and energy to bring relief and hope to the thousands of children right here in Canada.

We may not like to recognise that so many Canadian children live in poverty and squalor.

Children to whom hunger is a constant.

Children without hope.

Children without a chance of achieving what most of us take for granted.

An ugly scenario for all of us to ponder.

Food for thought.

Trish Summerhayes.
Owner/Editor Island Woman Magazine.

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THANK YOU VICTORIA, for packing over 4400 gift-filled shoeboxes for the annual Operation Christmas Child project of Samaritan’s Purse.

Once again, you have been generous in giving, letting children – many of whom have never received a gift in their lives – know that someone far away in Canada cares about them and they are not forgotten.

Shoebox gifts filled with school supplies, hygiene items and small toys, contributed by church and community groups, demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way and bring much joy to children fleeing injustice and war, or living in prolonged poverty around the world.

This year Operation Christmas Child celebrated its 25^th birthday!

Individuals across Greater Victoria participated in a variety of ways. Outside-the-Box Partners were busy all year knitting sweaters, hats, washcloths and dolls or making finger puppets to tuck inside the boxes.

Others sewed drawstring bags or clothes for pre-schoolers. There is no age limit, young or old, to those who participate.

Grade 7 students at Pacific Christian School learned to sew, stitching bags that often serve as school bags once the child opens their gift-filled shoebox.

 New Community Partners this year, Jesken Aerie Seniors’ Residents enjoyed a packing party, while Foresters Financial called on alumni to help them fill shoeboxes with gifts.

Grade 8 students from The Discovery School volunteered one afternoon to unload shoebox gifts as they were delivered to the Victoria Alliance Church Collection Centre. Students counted and packed gift-boxes into cartons, and loaded them onto skids, to prepare them for the truck.

Many adults helped throughout the week to receive shoebox gifts and pack them into cartons.

From Victoria, shoebox gifts are trucked to the Calgary Processing Centre and then directed to Central America, West Africa and the Ukraine.

Last year, nearly 11 million shoebox gifts were donated worldwide (from ten countries) with 615,120 coming from across Canada. Since 1993, over 157 million shoebox gifts have been shared with children in 160 countries … the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind. And it all started with one shoebox, packed in Jesus’ name! 

Charlene de Haan, Victoria Coordinator, had the privilege of seeing “the other end of the shoebox” in March when she joined a team of Canadians to personally distribute shoebox gifts in El Salvador.

Once shoeboxes are delivered to children, ages 2-14, Samaritan’s Purse often conducts a needs assessment in the community and returns with further assistance such as feeding programs, education, water – sanitation – hygiene projects, or animals – agriculture – livelihood, to name a few.

Thank you to everyone throughout Greater Victoria who packed a shoebox this year, and to those who do so year after year. These simple gifts, packed with love, send a message of hope and continue to transform the lives of children worldwide.

Anyone who missed packing a shoebox gift this year can still build a gift-filled shoebox online at www.packabox.ca

For more information, go to www.samaritanspurse.ca/occ

If you would like to sew or knit items for 2019 shoebox gifts, please contact jolainecraig@gmail.com

Charlene de Haan
Victoria Area Coordinator
 250-533-9107  :  charlene@stepUPtransitions.ca  

Operation Christmas Child | Samaritan’s Purse Canada Samaritanspurse.ca/occ  |  facebook.com/groups/occvictoria/

See all articles by Trish Summerhayes