The Samaritan’s Purse initiative sends gift-filled shoeboxes to children in need around the world and is grateful for toy trade involvement.
Every year Samaritan’s Purse partners with families, churches, individuals and groups to send millions of gift-filled shoeboxes to children in need around the world through Operation Christmas Child. Each shoebox gift contains a range of toys, school supplies, accessories and personal care items. For many of the children receiving these gifts, this will be their first ever Christmas present.
One reipient, eight year old Natalya, lives in an orphanage in Ukraine. She was delighted to receive a shoebox gift containing a baby doll, a tiara, a skipping rope, cuddly toys, school supplies, accessories and many more treasures. Her favourite item was a yellow duck-shaped torch, which she said would help her not to be afraid when she runs to the basement during air raids.
Natalya’s shoebox marks the symbolic 200 millionth shoebox sent since Operation Christmas Child began, and the items were selected by supporters from around the world who voted on their favourite toys and gifts to include. The yellow wind-up torch was chosen by supporters in the UK.
Other children who also received gift-filled shoeboxes included Yulia’s son and daughter “This was an amazing event,” she said. “My children had to leave behind all of their toys, and I almost never see them happy anymore. My son, Vitaliy, kept begging me for Lego because it is his favourite, and he left it all behind when we fled our home. I am so thankful that he received Lego in his shoebox today.”
The toy industry has been involved in the work of the charity; as well as The Entertainer’s annual Big Toy Appeal campaigns, The Toy Trust has worked with Samaritan’s Purse and in 2022 pledged to donate £10,000 to help provide emergency ‘backpacks’ for refugees from Ukraine fleeing the conflict. The emergency backpacks provided essential items including hygiene items, blankets asic necessities.
However, there are still lots of ways to get involved with the project, from packing shoebox gifts and dropping them off at The Entertainer stores and other locations during the third week in November, to donating Gifts in Kind, being a drop off location or volunteering to check the shoebox gifts before shipping. There is also the option to donate online and Samaritan’s Purse will pack and send shoebox gifts on behalf of individuals based on the toys and gifts selected.
For more information contact gillian.gilliland@samaritans-purse.org.uk, visit samaritans-purse.org.uk/occ or call 07719 551 310
Since the early 1990s, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 209m gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.
