Sharing boxes of holiday joy

Shoe boxes filled with toys, hygiene items, school supplies and candy will bring joy to needy children.

By LINDA M. LINONIS

VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR

HOWLAND — Millions of people embody the spirit of Yuletide giving as they participate in what’s known as the world’s largest Christmas project, Operation Christmas Child.

The 2007 goal is to deliver gifts packaged in shoe boxes to 8 million children in 105 countries around the globe. Last year, 7.6 million children worldwide were the recipients of holiday joy in a box.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization.

Laura York, coordinator for the northeast corner of Ohio, oversees the Warren Collection Center, 5000 E. Market St. in the Market Place Plaza. “Sunday will be our biggest day,” she said, noting that the collection began Monday will continue till Nov. 19. “We’ll be swamped then.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, York said the site had received more than 5,000 shoe boxes.

Relay centers in the Mahoning Valley this week are accepting shoe boxes from churches, schools, service and community organizations, families and individuals. The centers, in turn, will deliver the cartons packed with shoe boxes to the Warren site.

“The number of volunteers might be 1,000,” said York, when those collecting the boxes and those participating in the project are counted. From the collection sites, the tractor trailers travel to six process centers in the United States from where the cartons are shipped.

“As the cartons are delivered to the collection site, they’re put on semis outside,” York said. “This year’s goal is 14,000 shoe boxes.”

“There’s something about the project that gets people involved,” York said. “It’s a way to share with other people. And you bring happiness and joy into children’s lives.”

York said those who assemble the shoe box gifts range from preschoolers to senior citizens. “I had one mom come in with her 4-year-old daughter who brought a shoe box,” she said. “There are all ages participating ... church youth groups and schools to Red Hatters.”

York said the 8 million worldwide recipients, including the U.S., are children who have been through natural disaster, are living in war-torn countries or are in poverty. “It’s basically areas that are in need,” York said. “Some of these children have never had a Christmas present.”

York said some school groups come to the collection site and pack the shoe boxes. There, they also see a video presentation featuring children reactions to the gifts.

“It begins to dawn on these children how they are blessed and what they have,” York said. “Kids helping kids is a great thing.”

Some school groups who pack boxes on site do so because of monetary donations that the project receives to buy items for the boxes, York said. There are four main groups of items to pack:

UToys. Suggested items are balls, yo-yos, stuffed animals, trucks and dolls. No war- or violence-related toys are accepted.

UHygiene. Suggestions are toothbrushes, toothpaste, cup, T-shirt, deodorant.

USchool supplies. Suggestions are crayons, pens, pencils, paper, glue and scissors.

UCandy. Suggestions are hard candy and lollipops. Nothing that can melt is accepted.

“People are very creative at times. Some include handmade hats and gloves,” York said.

For more information, call (330) 847-5156 or visit the Web sites at www.trumbullocc.org or www.samaritanspurse.org.