Samaritan's Purse does a lot of charitable programs: disaster relief, training and counseling for veterans and the creation of wells and water purification stations worldwide. But my favorite activity to participate in is their Operation Christmas Program. People fill a show box with essentials like soap, toothpaste and combs along with books, toys and clothes for a child to unwrap on or near Christmas day- regardless if they celebrate the holiday or not.
In 2024, almost 12 million shoe boxes were distributed around the world. Over 10 million of those care packages came from the United States!
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In past years, my wife and I have donated boxes for both a boy and a girl. You can choose ages from infancy all the way to young teen. I try to pick the teens, figuring they don't get that many shoe boxes. While toy weapons are forbidden, I still try to add Star Wars, superheroes and other popular characters with universal appeal.
I also buy heavy duty tape. That's because I always go overboard and pack my shoe box to the gills. And I fill an adult size 12-13, male shoe box. No puny kids sized boxes from me!
While the 2025 deadline for shoe boxes is gone and passed, you can still order cool stuff for kids and their families around the world like a dairy goat for milk, clean water for the nearby community and cataract surgery. Some of these items can be purchased individually. But there are a few that can be very expensive. So for those needs, you can donate for a fraction of the cost, in a way that potentially 3-4 donors would contribute. The catalog for such donations can be found here...
For today's Advent, I went back to 1970; the year Samaritan's Purse was founded by Robert Pierce. With Operation Christmas Child being a program for kids, let's enjoy a carol from one of the most popular family bands. Here's Santa Claus is Coming to Town by the Jackson 5, led by a very young Michael Jackson!
Enjoy!
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