It’s Operation Christmas Child (OCC) national collection week!
This week, all across the nation, shoeboxes are being collected and will soon be shipped worldwide. But in case you are running behind on completing your box, I wanted to make you and your family aware of another excellent shoebox volunteer opportunity.
Last December, my husband and I had the opportunity to serve at the Atlanta, Georgia, OCC processing center. For hours, we enjoyed serving, meeting new people, and seeing with our own eyes the power of a shoebox.
As soon as we walked into the room, we were bombarded by noise, fun, and a bustling warehouse. Upon our entrance, we noticed work tables lining the hallway and hundreds of people working toward the same goal – boxes going into children’s hands. Jobs were available for everyone. The only requirement is that volunteers must be 13 or older to participate.
Once volunteers arrive, there is a plethora of things to do. They have jobs like box inspector, taper, shipper, forklift drivers, a shoebox hospital (where damaged boxes/goodies go to be worked on), and everything in between! It was breathtaking.
We were given the job of inspectors. As we worked, we searched the boxes for “inappropriate items.” These items include toothpaste, candy or food, glass, toy weapons, military figures, or liquids of any form. Although some of these items were once acceptable, OCC no longer allows them due to changes in shipping and customs. The organization donates these items to local ministries in need. Inspectors also ensure that shipping fees are removed from the box before shipping.
But my favorite memory was when my husband opened a box to find nothing but a single (used) mermaid doll. On top of that surprise, the shipping fee was paid in quarters. As we counted the coins, we knew that some little American girl had decided to do whatever possible to ensure that a child overseas received a Christmas gift.
These processing centers are powerful. Samaritan’s Purse is genuinely carrying the gospel to the ends of the earth, and they are doing so with ease. Throughout the time spent at the location, chaplains and even former recipients get up to pray for the boxes. In those moments, they stop and ask everyone to pray over the current box and the child it will go to. It’s Spirit-filled, no doubt.
Our table leader, Dania Andraos, encouraged our team from when we got there to when we left. She, a former shoebox recipient herself, ensured we knew that “[our] hands were the last to touch the box before it was given to a child.”
But … without processing center volunteers, the OCC shoeboxes would never reach their destination.
So, grab your family this Christmas season and volunteer! It takes 80,000 annual volunteers to get these boxes on the road. Also, if you aren’t done with your box and miss your church’s drop-off date, you can take it (or them) directly to the facility you will be volunteering. Last year, my husband and I loaded down our trunk and helped deliver boxes that otherwise would have been left behind for the season.
This year, there are eight centers open. They are located in Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Boone, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; and Fullerton, California.
If you are anywhere near these locations, go. You will be blessed! Click here to register or for more information about volunteering at a center.
