Operation Christmas Child Canada

[Melody]

Operation Christmas Child
Spreading the joy of Christmas to needy children around the world!

It is that time of year again - the time where generous Canadians join together to share joy and hope with children-in-need around the world by packing shoe box gifts for Operation Christmas Child (http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/occ/default.aspx). Collection Centres across Canada are open November 15th - 21st. Get involved today in the world's largest Christmas project!

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, an international, nondenominational, Christian relief organization that has been providing the basic necessities of safe water, food, clothing, and medical aid to suffering people across the globe for more than 30 years.

For more information on how to pack a shoe box gift, and drop off locations, please visit www.samaritanspurse.ca (http://www.samaritanspurse.ca) or call 1-800-303-1269.

:Holiday-17:

[CACAdmin]

Thanks for posting about this Melody. I do my best to share and include those less fortunate at Christmas but was totally unaware of this charitable drive.

[Melody]

My Mother's Church participates every year. She said her Minister told her a story of the boxes arriving in a underprivileged country and a little girl was handed one of these boxes by a volunteer. She took the box and opened it, carefully looked through it, took one item out, and gave the box back to the volunteer with a big smile & thanks.

It was inconceivable to her that the entire box was hers.

My Son will also be doing a box this year. At 13 he has his own money and can do his own shopping. I think a big part of the selfish mentality of today's kids comes from them being handed everything they want. Hundreds or thousands of dollars in gifts and parents going way into the red to give it to them. They feel they have a right to that. They are not taught compassion, thoughtlessness and charity anymore, or at least not enough to impact who they become.

A box can be filled at the dollar store and it costs very little. For the price of one X-Box game, you could easily fill more than a dozen. Its a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season in the right frame of mind and its a charitable activity that kids can participate in. They really enjoy doing it too! :Emoticon_Christmas:

[WaterPond]

My highschool participates in this every year. Each person sends something in each religion class.

Last year i sent a fleece blanket, pencils, toothpaste, a toothbrush, paper, crayons and a few other things that i cant remember

Really good charity.

[Melody]

It would be a great one for schools, good 4 U!

:Poppy-Icon-2:

[Melody]

This is all wrapped up for the year, but I was sent this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B13YQqyHqUo) and thought I'd share (I'm pretty sure it was Paul Brandt who sent it to me :wink: ). We've really had fun with this Christmas charity and encourage everyone to look for the boxes next year.

Check out delivery day - those kids are obviously thrilled. That's what it's all about!

[Pamelajo]

It is so nice to see the faces of the kids receiving these boxes. My work has been doing it for many years, and some of ladies actually go to the warehouse to help get these packages ready to be shipped.

[Melody]

I love workplace projects, they always put everyone in the proper frame of mind to enter the holidays. Someone should do a study on it someday. I bet people who have never been involved before, do so when it's in their workplace. I also bet it makes them more aware and generous with charity on their own as well.

I'm horrible for letting time get away from me and missing deadlines for gifting programs & whatnot. It always starts earlier in the workplace so I get on the ball earlier. When I work at home, I'd be lost without pop-up reminders from an electronic calendar...lol. I have fun with them though, like this week's that reminded me of the CP shipping deadline. It said "HELLLOOOOOO, you with the face full of fudge! Christmas is next week and you have a kid who likes online electronics stores...." :eek:

[Melody]

:Letter4Santa:
Collection 2010
November 15th - 21st
:Emoticon_Christmas: