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Operation Christmas Child

© Holly Gumpher

November is the month of American Thanksgiving. Before long, we'll be carving up our turkeys and eating our fill of pumpkin pie. Hopefully, we'll also be taking time to say thank you for all of the good things in our lives. This year, consider saying thank you by helping to brighten the life of someone else; a child.

Operation Christmas Child is run by an organization called Samaritan's Purse. Each year they deliver shoe boxes full of toys, candies, and hygiene items to impoverished children all over the world. In order to contribute, you need to fill a shoebox with those types of items, include $5.00 to cover the cost of shipping, and drop it off at a collection station, or send it in. Not too tough.

Filling a shoe box for a child makes an excellent project for preschoolers. Choose the category that is the same age and sex as your child. Then, let him or her help select the items to be inlcuded, and help wrap the box. It's never to early to learn about buying for others instead of ourselves.

Explaining to your child the reasons that children in other countries need these boxes may be a little more difficult. My daughter is still not clear on why these kids need this stuff, but the reasons why aren't as important to her right now as knowing that she is doing something important for someone else.

Please go to The Samaritan's Purse website for more details on how the program works and what items should or should not be included in the boxes. And have a happy Thanksgiving!