Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Virtual Packing Party 2016

Party on!

I hope you’re ready for the party today!! A party of HOPE! A party of LOVE! A shoebox packing party for Operation Christmas Child. The kids who receive these boxes do so once in a lifetime. The materials they receive help them feel God’s love, feel the world’s care and concern, and to feel confident in their own abilities. The gifts help them to stay in school and to have the confidence that God made them to lead a purposeful and satisfying life–where ever they may live.

• This year I packed 26 shoeboxes–some for every age. They include:
• 9 soccer balls
• 25 shirts, 5 shorts, 1 dress, 1 nightgown, 1 pair pajamas
• 5 fleece blankets
• 6 pairs of shoes
• 20 cups or water bottles of various kinds
• 26 washcloths
• 14 Hot Wheels cars
• 7 dolls of various kinds
• 6 rubber balls
• 8 checker games
• 13 bandanas
• 20 pairs of socks of various kinds
• 3 board books
• 26 age-appropriate toothbrushes
• 30 pairs of underpants
• 1 cloth menstrual hygiene kit in pretty pouch with Ziplock bag
• Two sports bras
• Several small stuffed animals
• 26 pencil bags with a good assortment of  pens, pencils and sharpener
• And all sorts of other good things

While I did find great boys shirts at Wal-Mart for $2 each, most clothing came from Gabriel Brothers and TJ Maxx/Marshalls, all of whom have awesome clearance on very nice quality clothing. Other items were free–items I KNEW were never worn and mostly still had the original tags on from my daughter or her friends and one super-nice Hannah Anderson shirt had for a dollar at the Salvation Army–original fold lines and tag attached! In that state I consider things “new.”

Older boy’s box.

Toddler girl box.

Remove packaging.

Sample items for boxes. Remove tags & packaging.

The box with the blue and white soccer ball was inspired by another blogger (I wish I could find her post & link to it!). She created a box for a girl like she had been at that age. I loved that. So that girl got a covered cup with a Biblical message, grown-up coloring books and a good set of colored pencils, a soccer ball, an not-girly shirt,  paracord crafting kit with printed picture instructions, a nice cross (it’s a Christmas ornament) a calendar and three nice journals. I know God knows the girl who needs this box. Savings Tip: Buy soccer balls in bulk online with pumps. Much cheaper! But this one, and a few others, were on clearance after soccer season for excellent prices.

 

2015 Packing Day                    Leftovers that started 2016 Packing

Note: I ended up donating the bag with the American flag to a local charity.

 

Click on the Mr. Linky link below and link-up your shoebox packing party pictures. It’s ok, if you just packed alone. It’s ok if you did only one box–or did one box with several friends. Quantity is needed, but like the widow’s mite, one box is one more child who receives HOPE and LOVE. One more parent or set of parents who see needs met–by total strangers who happen to believe love, faith and hope are blessings.

 

Started shopping for 2017. How cute are those bags? 2/$2! And a brand of men’s socks my sock-destroying son can’t destroy–6/$3. Both from Marshalls.

 

This post will stay at the top of my post list all of next week. Feel free to link to it–or to other posts on Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes that I’ve published this year or last year–with appropriate acknowledgment.

 

Here are shoeboxes a friend’s family packed. Thank you Hills family!

 

 

No blog? No problem! Email me and I’ll add your photos with the correct acknowledgement to this post–that’s partly why it’s staying up all week!

 

Linda at Filled With Laughter sent me these photos of her great boxes–3 for boys, 3 for girls

 

 

 

 

And my boxes will soon be on their way to the processing center!

 

Thank you to Sardinia Church of Christ for being a drop-off point!