Nov 12, 2012 3 min read

At the Living Stone Community Church on North Avenue in Washington, volunteers were preparing presents for perfect strangers Wednesday as part of the Operation Christmas Child initiative.

“This project is important to me,” said Christine Hainer, area coordinator for Operation Christmas Child. “Oftentimes this is the first time these children have ever received any type of gift.”

The “packing party” at the local church was one of several events in upcoming weeks during a drive that hopes to send out 9 million of the gift boxes to children throughout the world.

An activity room at the church had been transformed into holiday workshop as about 20 volunteers stuffed a couple hundred green-and-red colored shoeboxes with things like bouncy balls, mini-Frisbees, marbles, flashlights, candy, reading materials, socks, toothbrushes and toothpaste – all to the sound of Christmas tunes.

“I’ve been doing this for 10 years,” Hainer said. “We pack the shoeboxes and every shoebox is a gospel opportunity to know Jesus as savior.”

Hainer said the boxes were a beacon of hope to children who often live in impoverished or war torn areas of the globe. The presents are distributed to children between the ages of two and 13 in 130 countries. Each box includes scriptures in one of 78 translated languages. Many care packages also include personalized letters or photographs from volunteers stateside.

Hainer said a favorite reward for the hard work she puts into the project comes in the form of thank-you letters sent by the children who enroll in Christian outreach programs after receiving boxes.

Franklin Graham, the son of famous evangelical minister Billy Graham, founded the program in 1993. After boxes are collected at hundreds of sites throughout the United States, they are transported to distribution centers where they are inspected before being shipped to children in countries like Mongolia, South Sudan and China.

In addition to the packing parties at local area churches, there are other ways to get involved with Operation Christmas Child. The program kicked off its national collection week Monday and local collection centers throughout the area are accepting pre-filled shoeboxes stuffed with toys and candy.

In the Washington area the South Franklin Community Building, the Bible Chapel in McMurray and the McDonald Presbyterian Church will be accepting boxes during various hours through November 19. More information on site locations and operating hours can be found by using the drop-off locator application on www.SamaritansPurse.org. A feature allowing people to follow their packages via QR code to find out which village the shoebox ends up inis also available on the website.

Donations can also be made online or by sending pre-filled boxes to the organization’s national office in North Carolina.

Organizers for the non-profit said their simple gifts often provide more than short-term amusement for the children who receive them.

“The program is important because it’s a ministry for children,” said Barb Waltz, project leader at the Living Stone church. “I love children and the most important thing is to bring them to Jesus.

“It’s not just a box full of gifts, it’s the love of Christ.”