SHOE BOX PACKING 101
The first time the globally impactful ‘shoebox’ technique was ever presented at our church, I KNEW I wanted to participate. Initially I couldn’t imagine how much could actually fit inside a single shoe box. I mean, the thought of filling a small shoebox with the types of things I considered for my own kids’ typical Christmas certainly would not fit. This would take some ingenuity. (Insert, false perceptions of first-world-mom probs).
What began with three kids from preschool through elementary, packing an Operation Christmas Child shoe box fast became a family tradition eventually spanning decades.
Packed boxes for Operation Christmas Child after 2024 Neighborhood Packing Party!
When the kids were little, each of our children would pick out things for a child their own gender and age and fill their shoe box accordingly. We shopped the stores together for things encouraged by the list from Operation Christmas Child (Ex, balls, games, cars and a t-shirt and socks, etc. for boys and the girls would pick a clothing item headbands, dolls, game and a notebook, etc).
If you’ve never heard of Operation Christmas Child (OCC), it’s this in a nutshell. People who participate in OCC get to partner with the foundation to provide Christmas gifts for children around the world.
But there is a trick…
“Since 1993, more than 232 million children in more than 170 countries and territories have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox.”
All the items have to fit in a shoe box.
This branch of Samaritan’s Purse, led by CEO & President Franklin Graham, the son of the late Reverend Billy Graham, has been around for years, (more info here) and has perfected the distribution of these shoeboxes and the process of collecting them to an Olympic degree. But what does that mean for you and me?
How could I help?
How could I involved my children?
Would I still participate after my children were grown and gone?
And how could I take it to the next level to involve others?
Through the years, we packed as many as we could afford, gathering our items for collection week in early November. But as the kids moved off, I began to hunt for items throughout the year, items on clearance, often finding great deals at the Dollar Store. One of my current favorite ones is a set of miniature dominoes (see below) in a plastic case and foldable flat backpacks. These items would give the recipient something to keep their items together.
Samples of things I buy - these are all from The Dollar Tree.
When one of ours was in kindergarten, we collected items through their class, acquiring some great Lisa Frank items from someone who worked for them, among other things. And in 2024 we shared this in our new neighborhood, introducing ‘shoe-box-packing’ to a new set of people who had never heard about Operation Christmas Child. It was awesome to see people contribute. We packed around twenty-six boxes, which were ultimately sent across the world.
(You can continue and read my TIPS below or listen to my take on OCC packing HERE on the Drive Thru Moms Podcast- Episode 79.)
TIPS FOR PACKING OCC SHOE BOXES
INVOLVE YOUR KIDS
Let the kids chose the items for their box, using your child’s age and gender of the kiddo they’re buying for. (Labels help with the age breakdown)
Once all the items are gathered, let them help pack the boxes and take them to a local drop off.
GATHER ITEMS TO PACK
Look for items throughout the year. It’s easier on the budget than doing it all in Oct-Nov and allows for more items to be gathered.
Is there something you can make, a craft you enjoy? You can work on it all year. (Here’s a fun story to see about someone that did just that - and he’s 91!!!)
DROP OFF LOCATION
Find a church in your area that participates in OCC and is a drop off location. Look at the ‘Collection Week’ dates on the website.
Shoe Box drop offs are the third week of November every year (See website FAQ’s). This year is falls on November 17-24th.
SHOE BOXES -
You can get the OCC shoe boxes at your church, Hobby Lobby or order them yourself on the website.
If you get them from OCC, they are foldable cardboard boxes. TIP: get a bag of large rubber bands to secure the items from falling out (Order by 10.27.25 to get in time before National Collection Week). And let your kids help fold the boxes.
Some years I like to buy the plastic shoeboxes with lids, because it provides another container for storage that is permanent for the recipient
WHAT TO PACK -
There are lists on the Operation Christmas Child website, as well as ideas linked on their Amazon List page.
I typically pick something exciting, needed, games, couple of clothing items (a t-shirt & socks) hard candy, blank paper, etc.
Including toys that bring people together is a great idea. Sharing a ball, or a card game allows kids to play together and encourages friendship, sharing & teamwork with others.
“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
PACKING PARTY
Have a party for your neighborhood.
Post the date weeks in advance on your Facebook Page.
Allow yourself a few days to get the finished boxes to a church drop off location by Collection Week.
Ask people to choose from the OCC list & provide links in your posting.
Get free boxes from your church or buy from the OCC website.
Either
Have people drop off their items on a certain date or
Choose a time to have people come help fill/pack the boxes.
Have coloring sheets for kids to take (free to print on the OCC website).
I make treats, like cookies & have water bottles for people that come to help as a thank you.
PRAY
Pray over the boxes before you drop them off.
Include a note, picture or verse you think is appropriate (see guidelines on OCC website).
SHIPPING
Each box will need shipping donation, but if you don’t have it, fill the box anyway! The donation will be made from churches and donors or you can fill out the shipping donation online or print the labels for each box.
DOCUMENT
Take pictures of your process.
Use the pictures to share on social media for the next year, showing how God used your time and energy to bless someone else.
Every box you fill, is an opportunity to share God’s love with a child across the world. If you look at the shipping labels, you can print them with the QR codes and go back and see where your boxes ended up. (see here). But even if you never know who gets your box, praying over the boxes and knowing what God can do, our partnering to send these shoe boxes is a privilege.
Drop me an email and let me know how it went! Or tag me on @drivethrumoms with your party story. What an honor to share God’s goodness with your friends, families and strangers across the globe.
Happy packing & God bless these boxes! And don’t forget to follow Operation Christmas Child on IG HERE. Merry Christmas!
