Sometimes love comes in a little box that used to hold a pair of sneakers.
Oxford Middle School students last week collected 437 shoe boxes filled with small Christmas gifts for impoverished children.
Dubbed ‘Operation Christmas Child,? the program brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes.
Operation Christmas Child is a project run by Samaritan’s Purse, a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization that provides physical and spiritual aid to hurting people worldwide.
‘Last year, more than 6? million shoe boxes were distributed to 95 countries including the United States,? according to para-educator Judy Royster, of Leonard, who organizes Operation Christmas Child drives locally at both the middle school and her church, Oxford United Methodist, which recently collected 90 boxes.
The shoe boxes go to children who ‘literally live in garbage dumps, war-torn countries and poverty-stricken areas,? she said. ‘Children who otherwise wouldn’t get a gift.?
‘For some of the kids, these shoe boxes represent the first time in their entire life they’ve ever gotten a gift,? Royster noted.
For the last three weeks, sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students brought in small gifts ? such as toys, school supplies, personal hygiene items and hard candies ? to their ‘homebase? (or homeroom) classes to be packed into shoe boxes.
‘Some brought in shoe boxes from home already completely filled,? Royster said.
Students in each homebase class chose which shoe boxes were for boys, which were for girls and what age groups. There were three age ranges to choose from ? 2-4, 5-9 and 10-14.
On Friday, the shoe boxes were collected, inspected and wrapped by members of the middle school’s student council.
Royster said the project, which is in its fifth year at the middle school, teaches students ‘compassion, community service and responsibility.?
‘They learn that good citizens need to be responsible to those less fortunate,? she said.
Although the grade levels compete to see who can contribute the most boxes and win a special holiday treat, Royster said, ‘We don’t focus on the numbers. We just focus on the idea that even one box is helping one child in the world.?
‘Putting a smile on a child’s face for Christmas? and experiencing the ‘feeling of giving? are real rewards for the students, Royster said.
‘They love it,? she said. ‘You can see the excitement.?
Royster said the school received two thank you letters from recipients of last year’s shoe box drive. One came from Estonia and the other from the Ukraine. ‘It’s so exciting for the kids to see who actually got their box.?