Each year, thousands of people from the Golden Triangle pack an assortment of items — some necessities and school supplies, some gifts — into shoe boxes to be shipped to needy kids around the world.
They won’t know who’ll receive the gift; in most cases, they won’t know to which country the gifts will go. In a way, that’s what Operation Christmas Child, established in 1993, is all about.
Fueled by volunteers of all religious backgrounds, the mission is to spread the gospel of Christ with a tangible way to “reach a child with a physical need in order to feed their spiritual need,” said Nelda Brown, Columbus-area coordinator.
The shoe boxes often are the first Christmas gift many children overseas will have received. Each shoe box is a blessing that mirrors the Christian faith, Brown said.
“I can be a missionary through a shoe box,” said Brown, who has been involved with Operation Christmas Child for 15 years. “You can have a tremendous impact on so many kids. We’re close to 1.8 billion kids in the world.”
Still, the joyous feeling of helping those in need is trumped by knowing the person who benefited from the goodwill.
Brown includes notes in every shoe box she sends and each year receives at least three letters in response. Last year, she received a letter from a child in Malawi, Africa.
Brown got the chance to deliver shoe boxes in Peru in 2007. She recalls handing out boxes to three girls, unaware of what was in each box. One box had a shirt, but the three girls were different ages and different sizes. By “divine design,” the box with the shirt was opened by the girl whom it fit best.
“That was a really special moment,” Brown said. “That’s when you realize the impact you really have.”
Operation Christmas Kids shoe boxes can be packed with everything from hard candy, dolls and soccer balls to underwear, socks and hairbrushes. Each box must contain a $7 check to cover shipping costs. Operation Christmas Child encourages people to include a personal photo in each box prepared.
Shoe boxes can be dropped off at a dozen locations in the Golden Triangle, including collection centers in Starkville, Columbus and West Point. Information about specific locations can be found at samaritanpurse.com or by calling 662-328-3915.
Shoe boxes will be accepted until Nov. 21.
Last year, residents across the Golden Triangle helped 18,622 children in 90 different countries. Mississippians contributed 140,393 boxes. This year’s goal for the Golden Triangle is to collect 20,000 boxes.
“There are countries where kids can’t go to school unless they can furnish their own school supplies,” said Charlotte Taylor, Starkville Relay Center Coordinator. “There’s a lot of things we take for granted and just don’t think about.”
Taylor expects a boost from the 25 different civic groups and scout troops who participate annually. She’s focused much of her efforts on campus, where she’s recruited sororities and fraternities and student groups.
Taylor described 2010 as a “down year” in the number of boxes collected in Oktibbeha County but is hopeful her recruiting efforts pay off.
It helps, Taylor said, when there’s affirmation that a shoe box has made a difference for someone.
Taylor experienced it last year, when she met a Hattiesburg man who received a shoe box when he was a child in Honduras.
“It’s a wonderful, practical, hands-on thing,” Taylor said, “and those type of moments are very affirming. He shared his story of receiving a shoe box, and now he’s married with children and living in Hattiesburg. There are actually a lot of children who end up coming to the United States.”
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