Local churches prepare gifts for children in need

BUDA — Christmas looks different for everyone. Some celebrate at home with their families, putting up lights and baking treats, while others work long shifts as nurses, doctors and first responders. Many children around the globe spend it alone, with little celebration, in orphanages.

Volunteers at Operation Christmas Child and local churches that partner with the organization make it their duty to bring joy to those children via shoeboxes. More than 200 million shoeboxes later, Operation Christmas Child is celebrating its 30th year as it begins its 2023 collection week, starting Nov. 13 and ending Nov. 20.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARRYLL KNIGHT
Residents write letters to be included in their shoebox at the Manchaca Baptist Church packing party on Nov. 11.[/caption]

Operation Christmas Child is a branch of Samaritan’s Purse, an international disaster relief charity. The organization has helped provide relief to Ukraine, Maui, flood victims in Texas and Louisiana and more. According to volunteer coordinator Darryll Knight, in 1993, churches in England and in North Carolina banded together to provide Christmas gifts to children who were newly orphaned due to the conflict in Bosnia. With some help from Canada, volunteers from both locations and community members worked together to create 25,000- 30,000 shoeboxes — unknowingly creating a new organization. After the immense success, members recognized the love that residents put into these shoeboxes and how much it meant to them and decided that the donation should be an annual event.

“A lot of these kids have never received a gift [and] it’s about spreading the gospel and putting a smile on some kids' faces and telling them that you love them. People write notes to these kids and put them in the shoeboxes. It’s a labor of love,” said Knight.

“They describe the shoebox as a tangible expression of God’s love," he explained. "I could tell somebody that God loves them and they may or may not believe me, but if I put something in their hands that they will enjoy and that will stay with them for a while, that is something beyond words."

Knight has been a volunteer area coordinator for approximately seven years, but has been participating in Operation Christmas Child for far longer.

“I get to meet a lot of folks that are … similar to me. They want to see the gospel spread everywhere; they love children and they want to see them with a smile on their face,” said Knight.

There are four positions that individuals can volunteer as: connect volunteers, who are trained in specific areas depending on their task, such as church relations, media support, community relations, logistics and more that work year round; seasonal project leaders, who are responsible for putting teams together to create packing parties and collection; drop-off volunteers, who work short-term and load and transport the shoeboxes; and processing center volunteers, who help prepare the shoeboxes for shipping. All four of these positions amount to approximately 270,000 volunteers in the nation, with nearly 320,000 more internationally.

The numbers alone emphasize the importance of volunteers to help run this organization globally. According to Knight, local churches partner with ministries overseas to decide the distribution of the shoeboxes and to help spread the gospel. Children are also offered a 12-week program to enter a spiritual journey, if they choose to do so along with their shoebox.

Shoeboxes can be filled with a variety of items. Operation Christmas Child recommends a “wow” item, such as a doll, a stuffed animal or a deflated soccer ball with a pump, while adding personal care items, including hairbrushes, toothbrushes, clothing items, craft activities and more. Multiple suggestions depending on the age range of the child are available online at if some are unsure of what to pack.

Local churches also hold packing parties, which project leader Wendy Scott explains as “an opportunity to enjoy ministry together, to spend time with family, friends and church members by gathering in one place to fill the boxes with items that have been donated or purchased, write letters and pray for the children who will be receiving these gift boxes.  There is an opportunity as a group to pray for the children all around the world who will receive the shoeboxes.”

In her time at Operation Christmas Child, Scott explained that the most meaningful part of the project is the impact that it can have on a child’s life, including receiving a New Testament in their language.

“Each shoebox packed has a powerful impact to change a child’s life. They share with their family and community and, in turn, their family and community share with them,” said Scott. “Being involved in Operation Christmas Child] is not only packing shoe boxes for children in remote areas that may never receive a gift, but the most important part is to make a difference in a child’s life, to be part of God’s family, to share the gospel and to know Jesus Christ.”

The organization also requests that the shoebox be a standard size and include a $10 donation to cover shipping and other project costs. After their box is shipped off, those who donated shoeboxes will receive an email informing them which country their package went to. Although there is little specification on the child who receives the item, the community member may research on their own to discover the situations affecting children in the region.

On Nov. 11, the Manchaca Baptist Church held a packing party where more than 2,100 shoeboxes were packed.

“I’m still just amazed that a volunteer organization like that stays together, works together and gets so much accomplished,” beamed Knight. “In spite of all the everyday life stuff that gets in your way — it’s just amazing.”

Collection week stems from Nov. 13 to Nov. 20 with drop-off locations at: Hays Hills Baptist Church, located at 1401 N. FM 1626, Buda; Manchaca Baptist Church, located at 1215 FM 1626, Manchaca; and LifeFamily, located at 8901 W. Highway 71, Austin. For more information and specific times, please visit .