Shoe Box Project

Operation Christmas Child

The team will be meeting on all the other Saturdays in May from 10am to 12noon and offers a friendly welcome and refreshments to all new members.

Last month, we explained that Ann Smith had had to step down as coordinator of the Shoe Box group and that Myrtle Wilkinson had taken over from her. Ann has kindly supplied some information on the 2010 effort in general and the Norbury contribution in particular.

Operation Christmas Child (OCC), to give it its official title, started in 1990 and was absorbed into a charity called Samaritan’s Purse in 1995. Samaritan’s Purse is an ‘aid’ charity that operates in Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe and OCC is an initiative that has gone from strength to strength. In 2010, 1.1 million boxes left the UK bound for 14 countries. A notable ‘box-filler’ was the Prime Minister in his constituency in Oxfordshire.

The 2010 contribution from the Stockport area was 43,700 boxes, an increase of 700 on the previous year. As to Norbury, young people and adults filled 350 boxes and, with other donations, a total of 488 boxes were dispatched. As Ann puts it: ‘...another successful year with the team decorating boxes and then filling them with the enormous array of gifts... We give thanks for the labours of all the knitters and sewers (ones who sew!) who have diligently continued throughout the year to supply hats, mitts, gloves, scarves, hand puppets, purses, pencil cases and other exciting items as well as all gifts from church family and friends.’

48 of the boxes were donated by students with special needs from Bridge College, Stockport. The connection with Norbury has developed over the last four years and, in Ann’s words, ‘...the students love to come and enjoy a service of blessing of the boxes followed by lunch in the Legh Room provided by the Shoe Box team.’ In February this year, the students - including some in wheelchairs - entertained the team with a concert and talent show and ‘really danced their hearts out and thoroughly enjoyed letting their hair down’. There are now plans to hold such an event annually.

We close with more of Ann’s words: ‘Please pray for the vulnerable children in the world, especially for those living in abject poverty and need, whether locally or internationally; also for the children who received our shoe boxes last Christmas. May each one of them feel loved, knowing that someone else cares for them.’

Further Information

Shoe Box News (2011 edition) contains some very touching stories; copies available in the Narthex.

Website: www.samaritans-purse.org.uk