Attention Hawaii Island residents looking to share a little love with the world this holiday season: Go find an old shoebox and prepare to make a big difference in a child’s life.
Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas charity, collects each year about 11 million shoeboxes filled with gifts for under privileged children in poverty, famine, war-torn countries, or natural disasters, said Nell Quay, East Hawaii coordinator for the charity operated by Samaritan’s Purse.
“Last year, we went into 110 countries,” she said.
All told, Big Island participants provided 7,000 shoeboxes filled with gifts, which were then loaded into a large cargo container and shipped to California, where they are inspected at the charity’s processing center before being delivered around the world.
Quay, who has been involved with the charity for eight years, said last year she participated in the delivery of gifts to children in Colombia — an experience she wishes everyone could have.
The organization’s website, www.samaritanspurse.org/, provides tips on how to pack a box to include hygiene items, school supplies and other necessities, while also including a surprise or two that can really put a smile on a child’s face.
Hawaii Island residents often choose to include a few mementos of home, she added.
“What I do, is I like to include a postcard of Hawaii, so they can see where I live,” she said.
Participants may track their packages online, to discover where in the world their gifts are going. And sometimes, families have reported receiving responses from children vie email or post.
“Every type of group participates, from the elderly to preschoolers,” Quay said. “It takes a community. … For every box that’s packed, that’s a child that can be reached and touched by that person’s love.”
National Collection Week will run today through Nov. 23. Hawaii Island sites include Hilo Missionary Church, First Assembly of God Hamakua, Puna Covenant Church, Living Stones Collection Center, Solid Rock North, Mana Christian Ohana, and Naalehu Assembly of God.
For directions or information on times when those sites are open, www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.