Nothing warms the heart more — especially at Christmas — than the sparkle in a child’s eyes.
Despite challenges posed by inflation, shortages of everyday goods, and strife in the world, 378 people from the Trail area joined Canadians in carefully packing 415,072 shoeboxes with toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and many other items during the 2022 Samaritan’s Purse shoebox campaign, Operation Christmas Child.
That’s an increase of more than 1,000 shoebox gifts over 2021’s total.
“We are so grateful for the generosity of Canadians,” Kendra Shields, director of Operation Christmas Child, said in a Feb. 7 release. “These gift-filled shoeboxes are a tangible expression of God’s love and will provide joy and hope to children, many of whom have never received a gift before.”
Distribution of shoeboxes around the world has already begun. During the next few weeks, children in Ukraine, the Philippines, Central America, and western Africa will be receiving shoeboxes packed by caring Canadians.
The 415,072 boxes donated in 2022 — including tens of thousands of boxes packed online at PackaBox.ca— were part of a worldwide total of nearly 10.6 million collected in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Finland, South Korea, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand.
Many children who receive shoebox gifts will also enroll in Operation Christmas Child’s 12‑lesson discipleship program, The Greatest Journey. This voluntary program teaches children about the Christian faith. Since 2009, more than 26 million children have participated in the program.
Every child who graduates is given a New Testament in their language.
Operation Christmas Child launches annually right after Thanksgiving in Canada.
National Shoebox Collection week is held the third week of November.
Each gift-filled shoebox packed, donated, and delivered to one of hundreds of drop-off locations throughout Canada by Nov. 20, makes a long journey into the arms of a child in need.
Locally, the annual drop-off site is Trail Alliance Church.
Canadians can also be involved year-round by visiting PackABox.ca. The website gives options of packing the box yourself for children ages two to 14, or having the box packed for you.
For those packing a shoebox online, personal notes and photos can also be uploaded.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and hand-delivered more than 209 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in over 170 countries hurt by war, poverty, natural disaster, disease, and famine. This year, Samaritan’s Purse collected its milestone 200 millionth shoebox, which was hand-delivered to a young girl in Ukraine.
Operation Christmas Child is a program of Samaritan’s Purse Canada, a Christian relief and development organization that takes its name from Jesus Christ’s biblical story of the Good Samaritan. Like that Good Samaritan, who found a beaten man and helped restore him, Samaritan’s Purse aids victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine, and persecution. Besides Operation Christmas Child, initiatives include providing safe water, vocational skills, and agricultural supplies and training to families in the developing world. Learn more at SamaritansPurse.ca.