Shoeboxes Are a Go in 2020

 As 2020 has seemed such a crazy year, shoeboxes may have gone to the back burner of our minds, and when they pop to the front, some may even question if shoeboxes can still be distributed in a year like this?  Well the answer is: yes, they can!  Samaritian's Purse and Operation Christmas Child are working hard to make collection as safe as possible.  You can read their plans here:  https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/covid-19/.  They're also coordinating with their ministry partners in the distributing countries for safely getting shoeboxes to the kids.  I'm sure their health experts are helping them make these decisions, and they should be experts as they're working in multiple continents helping respond to the Covid crisis: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/global-covid-19-response/.   

So, they're working on their end, it's up to us to work on our end.  I'm sure packing parties will be looking different.  The OCC link above has ideas for making packing parties safer.  If you pack as an individual, that removes a few of the variables, but shopping may still be kinda tricky depending on your risk level, and the outbreak level in your area.  Thankfully we got a lot early this year, and were able to get most of the rest online or thru curbside pick-up.  If that doesn't work for you, remember there is an option to build a box online: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline/

Bird Themed Shoebox for 10-14 Year Old Girl Thru Operation Christmas Child

I really enjoyed birds when I was a girl in the 10-14 year old range-even played with the idea of going into the field of ornithology.  I still like birds, so this was fun box to put together.

It started with the Beanie Baby which I said looked like an albino cardinal-much to the amusement of my family.  Then I found the photo/gift box

When I do a theme box, what that means to me is while I stick to my normal list of things to include, I try to find versions of those items that fit the theme.  I may add an extra unique item or two, but on the whole it's the same list, just different types.  My basic list for those interested is:

• Hygiene supplies (soap & case; toothbrush & case; washcloth; comb)
• School supplies (lined paper, pens, pencils, sharpener, eraser, ruler, etc.)
• Art supplies (crayons, watercolors, and/or colored pencils; plain paper and/or coloring book; stickers, etc.)
• Ball
• Stuffed Animal
• Toy
• Game
• Something to wear
• Whistle
• Some sort of container (maybe a bag or tin)
• And a family photo (not pictured above)

If you'd like a better look at what exact items I packed in this box, and how I fit it all in, check out this unboxing video I took of it:

For more ideas/fun boxes, check out other shoeboxes we packed for 10-14 year old girls or our themed boxes!

Crochet Flower and Heart Pins Instructions

Small handcrafted accessories are great to add to an Operation Christmas Child shoebox and these crochet flower and heart pins are perfect to tuck in a corner of a box.  Chelle, from Chelle's Caybees, wrote up these instructions for the ones her mom Vickie makes and donates to our packing each year.

We have packed literally hundreds of these in our OCC shoeboxes.  We have used many to share with the seniors and shut ins of our church, too (check out our Facebook page if interested in helping the elderly:  Serving Seniors and Shut Ins).  We also tuck them into pencil cases for fillers we send (see The Pencil Granny and Friends on Facebook for details of packing school supplies to donate as fillers if you are interested).

Crochet Heart Pins

Supplies:  small amounts of Worsted Weight Yarn and an F Hook (I usually use 1-2 sizes down to make it tight) I used an H hook here so the stitches would show better.

Instructions