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Local churches organize Collingwood donations for Christmas Shoebox program

'Every single item that gets packed in a shoebox makes a difference in a child's life,' said Joel Bradley, regional manager of central Ontario's Operation Christmas Child program
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Part of the local Operation Christmas Child team from left: Grace Sweezie, Debbie Yaniw, Tammy McGill and Peggy Hawthorn gather at Journey's Blend last year for a team meeting. Erika Engel/CollingwoodToday

If good things come in small packages, there are a lot of good things being packaged in Collingwood this month.

Operation Christmas Child has come around again with Journey Church leading the local Christmas shoebox campaign.

Tammy McGill, is coordinating local churches again this year, but this time she has a new appreciation for the program, having experienced the process from beginning to end.

McGill was on a team of nine people from Journey Church in Collingwood who ventured to El Salvador last year where they handed out Christmas Shoeboxes packed in Canada to about 300 children in four communities.

“This little girl came up and gave me a kiss on the cheek and a hug,” said McGill. “The kids were just so happy we were there.”

She said the communities welcomed them with receptions, and would often play the Canadian national anthem for their arrival.

“They know we’re a country that blesses them with gifts,” said McGill.

Last year, the communities of Collingwood and Wasaga Beach packed and sent 1,000 shoeboxes to the program. This year, McGill would like to see 1,100 from the community.

Operation Christmas Child - also known as Christmas Shoeboxes - is a program of Samaritan's Purse, which is a disaster relief organization. Since forming a little over 25 years ago, the program has collected and distributed 157 million shoeboxes packed full of gifts to children in 100 countries.

Canadians sent 615,120 shoeboxes to the program in 2017, and about 517,000 last year.

Joel Bradley works for Operation Christmas Child as the regional manager for central Ontario. He visited Collingwood a couple of weeks ago to encourage the local group.

“Our goal is to encourage hope around the world, and we want to encourage the giver here too,” said Bradley.

He delivered a presentation to a group of representatives from Collingwood and Wasaga Beach churches who coordinate the shoebox program for their congregations.

“I want to show more in-depth the impact it’s making,” said Bradley. “We’re bringing hope to children in the form of a simple gift. Most children we work with have never received anything … every child deserves to be a child.”

Bradley said the most shoeboxes to ever come out of Canada in a year has been 740,000 boxes. He acknowledged the numbers are lower now, with about an 80,000 to a 90,000 shoebox drop between 2017 to 2018.

While the trend is for donations to fluctuate, Bradley said it’s also indicative of some changes in Canada.

“There’s a lot more need here in Canada than we’ve ever had before,” said Bradley, adding he’s focused on the message of hope both in the poor communities where the shoeboxes are distributed and at home in Canada.

“The perspective of what it means to give is a good lesson,” he said.

This year, Canadian boxes will be delivered to Latin American countries, where Bradley said the Canadian chapters of Operation Christmas Child have developed strong relationships with local governments, churches, and volunteers.

When it comes to items to include in the box, Bradley said kids are kids. He said they love to receive school supplies because it gives them more opportunity for an education.

Other popular items are toys, clothing, and hygiene items. You can learn more about packing a shoebox here.

While there are some guidelines for what to pack in a Christmas Shoebox, it’s also important to pack gifts you want to give.

“Every single item that gets packed in a shoebox makes a difference in a child’s life,” said Bradley. “I tell people ‘whatever you are passionate about, just pack.’”

Anyone can pack a shoebox. The gifts can be designated for a girl or boy in one age group of 2-4, 5-9, and 10-14.

There’s a Facebook group for Collingwood and area Operation Christmas Child, and a local packing party planned. On November 16, a group of shoebox donors will gather at Living Faith Christian Church (112 Hurontario Street) before, during, and after the Santa Claus parade to pack shoeboxes to be donated to Operation Christmas Child. You can stop by with donations of items or cash to help pack a shoebox.

There are empty shoeboxes available at Collingwood Home Hardware, Clearview Community Church, The Dollar Tree, and Journey’s Blend Cafe. You can return packed shoeboxes, with $10 to help with shipping, to Journey’s Blend Cafe, Clearview Community Church, or Collingwood Home Hardware.

You can also pack a shoebox online here. The website lets you choose items for inclusion in your shoebox and you can pay with a credit card for the items and the shoebox shipping fee.


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Erika Engel

About the Author: Erika Engel

Erika regularly covers all things news in Collingwood as a reporter and editor. She has 15 years of experience as a local journalist
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