Volunteers pack 1 million shoe boxes for children
On Dec. 3, more than 1 million shoeboxes were filled with toys, school supplies and games at the Lawrenceville-warehouse for Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas gift exchange started by North Carolina-based Samaritan’s Purse.
The national effort started with one week of receiving donations followed by two weeks of packing, made possible with 700 volunteers in the Atlanta-area alone. “We received over 8 million shoe boxes through various donations in our collections week and our volunteers help us prepare these boxes for delivery,” said Atlanta Processing Center Manager Jamie Hardenbrook.
Groups of volunteers came to inspect, sort and pack shoe boxes that will be delivered to needy children around the world in the next few months. The packing week lasted from Nov. 23 to Dec. 9 where more than 10,000 shoe boxes were being prepared for shipment every day.
“Some of these children have never received a gift before, so when they receive this shoebox, it lets them know that they are loved and there is hope,” said Hardenbrook. “This is a year-round effort and everyone can get involved by packing a box for these children. We always look forward to getting boxes and having more people volunteer with this effort.”
Partnered with local churches and groups in countries such as India, Haiti, Africa and more, Operation Christmas Child has delivered over 86 million boxes in 130 countries since it was founded in 1993.
To get involved with Operation Christmas Child go online.
In Other News: 150 community volunteers gathered on Dec. 3 to polish and shine nearly 550 bicycles donated for North Fulton Community Charities' Santa Shop. The bikes will be given as holiday gifts to people through the charity this month. The annual bicycle drive collects tricycles, mountain bikes, road bikes and scooters from neighborhoods in Forsyth, Gwinnett and Fulton counties which are transformed into pristine condition for area children by local bicycle mechanics.
