Operation Christmas Child

COLLECTING ITEMS FOR OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD SHOEBOXES

It’s time to start collecting items for Operation Christmas Child! The St. Mark congregation has been most generous with donations for this shoebox ministry and we hope to collect even more this year. Since 1993 over 113 million children in 150 countries have received shoebox gifts. The simple gift of a shoebox can have a profound impact on a hurting child.

The children of St. Mark are busy decorating boxes, making crafts, and collecting toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and other fun items. They have set up a table display and a collection barrel in the narthex for your donations. Suggestions are listed below. If you would like to participate in this project, but are unable to shop for items, we would welcome donations to cover the cost of transporting the boxes. $7 covers the cost of transporting a box anywhere in the world! You can make checks out to St. Mark and note that it’s for OCC. (a collection box is on the table)

Please donate items by November 12 as the children will finish packing boxes that night and get ready to deliver them to the drop-off location during National Collection Week (November 17-24.) If you’d like more information about OCC, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ If you have questions about St. Mark’s participation in the project, please contact Julie Northrip.

GIFT SUGGESTIONS:

TOYS: Include items that children will immediately embrace such as dolls, toy cars, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, balls, toys that light up and make noise (with extra batteries), etc.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES: pens, pencils and sharpeners, crayons, markers, notebooks, paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.

NON-LIQUID HYGIENE ITEMS: toothbrushes, bar soap, combs, washcloths, etc.

ACCESSORIES: t-shirts, socks, hats, sunglasses, hair clips, jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries), etc.

CANDY: Only hard candy – lollipops, Jolly Ranchers, candy canes, peppermints, Nerds, Smartees, etc. Tootsie rolls are okay, but no other chocolate candy. Gummy bears are okay, but not fruit snacks. (If it says “fruit” on the label, it is rejected by customs.)

DO NOT INCLUDE: Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers; aerosol cans.

Click here to see Julie and Ingamarie on Fox News packing a box.