We are excited to be adding Operation Christmas Child to our list of school supported ministries this year!
Operation Christmas Child delivers great joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ to children in need around the world through gift-filled shoeboxes. Each box packed full of quality toys, school supplies, and personal care items becomes a tangible expression of God’s immense love for the child. For many, it is their first gift ever! Delivered by our local church partners, shoebox gifts provide an opportunity to present the Gospel to boys and girls in a clear, child-friendly way.
You can learn more about this ministry at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/
We are fortunate enough to have some local representatives, Fred and Laura Lettelier, that will be guiding us through the process.
The Letteliers have a long history with Ossipee Valley Christian School – both of their children attended OVCS from start to graduation! Fred is the reason our Headmaster, Mr. Weirick, started coaching soccer 20 years ago this year! Both Fred and Laura have shown continued support over the years and it is a pleasure to have them support and help us with this well deserving endeavor.
International impact
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, has collected and delivered more than 198 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories. This year, the project expects to collect its 200 millionth gift-filled shoebox!
Shoebox gifts are collected in Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.
After collecting 10.5 million shoeboxes globally in 2021, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoeboxes to reach 11 million children in 2022, with 9.4 million of these boxes coming from the U.S.
Over 498,000 volunteers worldwide—with nearly 200,000 of those in the U.S.—are involved in collecting, shipping and distributing shoebox gifts.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. Samaritan’s Purse currently works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine.
Our Goals
In September, the Letteliers spoke to the teachers and students about the ministry, and explained their role in the process of packing shoeboxes. They provided take home literature for parents and students to help answer any questions and provide additional information.
Our goal is to provide at least 70 shoeboxes filled with hope and love to children round the world at Christmas time, that represents one for each student at OVCS.
How it Works
Here’s a quick overview of the process:
- Find or order a shoebox
- Get a label
- Fill your shoebox with gifts
- Pray for the child, family, and community who will receive your shoebox
- Donate $10 (for shipping and project costs)
- Drop off your shoebox during the week of Nov 14-21, 2022
You can read more about the process details here: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/pack-a-shoe-box/
Our Process
For us at OVCS, we will be doing things slightly differently, as we work together to make our impact.
We have set up several (labeled) large totes and a poster so that kids can bring in items that will be later packed into the gift boxes. Anyone can contribute.
We will be collecting donations for the $10/box fee that is needed. Anyone can donate.
On Wednesday, November 9th the Letteliers will come in again to organize and oversee a “Packing Party” with students and teachers. Fred said that other family members could also be invited, so mark your calendars if you are interested!
The Letteliers will then be responsible for transporting all the boxes to a nearby OCC collection point for drop off.
You Can Help!
We are excited to participate in Operation Christmas Child as a whole school and want to invite you to be involved too!
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to help us reach our goals, of bringing hope to children around the world at Christmas time, with a contribution or donation to support this ministry.