It’s Almost Time to Deliver your Shoeboxes!

If your family have decided to pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child, get a wriggle on as it’s almost time to deliver them to 96five!!

We are eagerly waiting for you to drop off your shoebox to 81 Mina Parade, Alderley, weekdays between 9am and 4pm. We’re anticipating a wall of shoeboxes between now and the last Sunday in October which is the deadline for making sure your shoebox reaches a child for Christmas.

It’s not too late to pick up a pre-printed shoebox from us either. It’s easy to get involved, so check here for more details.

The contents of your shoebox can be both life-changing and spiritually encouraging for the child it reaches.

A simple pair of plastic princess shoes were a prized gift for a then five-year-old Alina when she received a shoebox in Central Asia several years ago.

What you put in your shoebox connects you to that child

Alina was so excited when she put them on. “They were too big, but I still wore them,” she said. They had come from another five-year-old who included a photograph of herself.

Her gift to me became so personal—I felt like I connected with her.

“She was wearing a tiara that matched the shoes I received,” Alina said. “Her gift to me became so personal—I felt like I connected with her.”

If you are packing a shoebox right now, you too will be connected to the child who receives it.

For Alina, receiving her Christmas shoebox also encouraged her because of the way she was treated for her faith in Jesus.

“A lot of my teachers lowered my grades for no other reason than they didn’t like me,” Alina said. “One time, my teacher grabbed my sweater and pushed me against the wall, demanding, ‘Where is your Jesus now’?”

“I no longer felt like Jesus had abandoned me.

But, for Alina, Jesus turned up when she opened that shoebox. “The shoebox was a representation of His love to a five-year-old girl,” Alina said.

“I no longer felt like Jesus had abandoned me.”

More than a decade later, Alina now lives in America and gives back by volunteering at a Operation Christmas Child collection centre.

Shoebox contents make an impact on lives

When you pack and deliver your shoebox in the coming days, you can be certain it will make an impact on a child’s life.

Operation Christmas Child (OCC) is a project of Samaritan’s Purse. It partners with local churches in developing nations to reach out to children by providing gift-filled shoeboxes.

All children who receive a shoebox of gifts will have an opportunity, with their parents’ permission, to enrol in The Greatest Journey – a fun, 12-lesson faith-based program.

Remember, if you’ve already packed your shoebox, deliver it today; don’t wait another moment for a chance to make Jesus real for children such as Alina.