A little shoebox can hold a lot of love
Email
Print
Letter to Editor
Share
Updated: November 17, 2009 3:28 PM
The holiday season is upon us, but for many children around the world, there will be no presents waiting for them Christmas morning.
Maple Ridge teacher Barb Gustafson hopes to change that.
She is one of more than 60,000 people around the world who volunteer with Operation Christmas Child to help make sure close to eight million children in more than 90 countries will receive a gift-filled shoe box for Christmas this year.
While the program is popular in schools, anyone can donate a shoe box full of presents. Gustafson recommends gifts like school supplies, non-electronic toys, and clothing, as well as $7 to cover shipping and handling. Among gifts not recommended are food, liquids, breakable items, war-related toys, and toothpaste.
Gustafson recently travelled to India where she saw first hand how a few dollars worth of seemingly simple household items can have a profound affect on someone’s life.
“It was devastating to see the poverty,” said Gustafson. “There certainly are many needy children and seeing the need puts many things into prospective.”
The deadline for dropping off Christmas boxes is Saturday. Boxes can be dropped off at the Maple Ridge Baptist church, at 222nd Street and Lougheed Highway, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
You can also purchase gifts for donation online for people living in impoverished countries around the world. Gifts include emergency medical supplies, clean water, transportation, and tools.
• For more information, visit www.samaritanspurse.ca
