Has anyone else heard about this organization? Is it legit?
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/
I think this will be a great yearly activity to include our children in during this season of giving. But I want to know more about it first.
persimmon / 1345 posts
It's legit. We participate every year and the kids love putting stuff in the boxes.
They do ask for a $7 processing shipping donation along with the box. If you do that, you can even track your box to what country it goes to
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@misolee: thank you!!! How old was your LO when you started? My oldest is 3.5 and I *think* she can grasp the concept.
Is it $7 per shoebox?
squash / 13208 posts
We do it too! Its fun to let the kids pick out gifts for a child their age and fill the shoebox!
persimmon / 1345 posts
@REGBERADAISY I've done a shoebox way before LO was born. It's a fun thing to give back during the holidays.
I started doing a shoebox for her since she was born too. And will start for Lo2 that's coming.
She was 2.5 last yr and kind of understood that it was for our friends around the world and she enjoyed running around dollar store and picking out stuff.
This year, it's easier to explain its for another friend bc she gets it more. Oh and they also have these coloring sheets on their website that LO can do and include in the box to make it more personal.
honeydew / 7909 posts
Definitely legit! We're doing it for the 1st time this year.
great resource: http://garrett.with.sim.org/index.php/archives/1675
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@misolee: thanks for the tips about the coloring page!
I'm thinking I'll take her to Target dollar spot or dollar tree and pick out a few things. What kind of countries have your packages gone to? I know there's a list of suggested items on the site. Will have to check it out. Too late this year to coordinate but I think next year it will be fun to get a group of kids together and make this into a shoebox stuffing party! 
Awesome! @Mamaof2: @coopsmama:
apricot / 287 posts
I've done a box a few times, and think it's a great organization. There should be some videos somewhere on the website too, that show the kids getting their boxes if you want to help your LOs understand the concept better. My understanding is that the $7 is per box, but it's not necessary (if you do it online, though, you can track where your box ends up - which I think is neat)
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
@regberadaisy: Yes! Our church does a HUGE drive every year for at least the last decade! Just so you know though, it is a Christian organization and with the shoeboxes, the Gospel is shared with the children. But I still encourage people to do it even if they are not religious; we show the promo videos and the pure joy on these children's faces is priceless.
http://garrett.with.sim.org/index.php/archives/1675
This is a really great article on what the kids really like/need.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
@Ash: Haha yeah!! We just started showing them this week. I really loved that article too; I feel like I've def put things in there that they could not appreciate before. And I never ever thought about soap/tooth brush containers for them...
pineapple / 12802 posts
It's great! Our daycare organizes ours and we bring in stuff for them to box up.
I also used to do this in school too as a kid. They've been around for a LOOOONG time.
kiwi / 641 posts
DD's preschool (which is part of a church) does this every year with the kids. It was a nice way to introduce the concepts of gratitude for what we have and the fact that not everyone is as lucky as we are. DD seemed to enjoy helping to fill the shoebox too.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@snowjewelz: so, they go through the boxes and put something in? I'm fine with it being a Christian organization as long as I'm not forced to participate in the religious aspect. 
I saw it through a blogger and she had put travel size toothpaste etc in there!
@abmamma: @.twist.: I was just thinking this would be a great daycare activity. Where do the box items come from? Does daycare pay for it or do they ask for parent donations?
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
@regberadaisy: They don't mess with your boxes! They get checked to make sure no forbidden items are in there (my friends volunteered at the big packing location once).
kiwi / 641 posts
@regberadaisy: at our preschool, they provided the boxes but asked parents to donate the $7 for shipping. It's all voluntary but I think most families participated.
eta: the families donated items for the boxes too
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@abmamma: your daycare pays for the contents themselves? That's awesome!
Eta: oops saw your update. I think I will suggest this next year for the 3 & 4 rooms.
pineapple / 12802 posts
@regberadaisy: our daycare gets the boxes and they ask the parents for donations. Then they take the donations and fill the boxes accordingly and ship them off.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
I've seen a few people post on IG.
What did everyone fill their boxes with? What gender and age group?
We picked to fill the box for a 2-4 year old girl because we thought it would be the easiest for DD1 to grasp.
We went to Target and let her pick out a few things with us.
Ended up filling it with a Webkinz elephant, multipack of toothbrushes, bar of soap, Frozen coloring activity pack, holiday stickers pad, mini xylophone, mini pack of ABCs and 123s wooden blocks, a blue polka dot bow, mini hairbrush and some hair ties.
ETA: my 3.5 year old also made a card and DH helped the 14m "make" a card.
I also thought it was worthwhile to donate the $7 so I can show DD where in the world it went to.
cantaloupe / 6885 posts
Our daycare does them too...this reminds me that I have to fill our box this week. I was going to take DD with me to pick out the items but at 2 I don't think she'd get it. I'll probably just fill it myself and next year have her take a more active roll
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@Charm54: lots of great stuff at Target One spot! You can have your daughter help you put the items in the box? Or just be there? We did it as a family and DH just held the 14 month. It was nice and we plan to do this yearly. Next year we'll do two boxes, one from each girl.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
Yes! Definitely legit - I've been doing shoeboxes ever since I was a kid. My mom took us to target/dollar store/walmart and we helped pick things out for the kids, pack the boxes, and drop them off. A lot of churches do shoebox packing events, and those can be a lot of fun.
I found this article awhile back and shared it on FB. It has some really great pointers on what to pack and what not to pack (beyond the list Samaritan's Purse provides): http://garrett.with.sim.org/index.php/archives/1675
pomelo / 5607 posts
@snowjewelz: I'm already familiar with it, but I wanted to say thank you for letting people know it's a Christian organization that proselytizes in addition to the gifts. If I didn't know, I would want to be told so I could take that into consideration.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@Mrs. Pen: thank you for that link! I was wandering through the target travel aisle yesterday thinking I don't think the will have a use for travel toothbrush cases. But that post brought up a good point! Lots of them. We're not dropping off till Saturday so I'm going to adjust some of my items. Thanks!
I'm a little worried about the webkinz elephant now. I was reading on the website to include one big wow item that a child will love. I didn't take into consideration what an elephant might be in another country / culture.
I'm thinking about starting a shoe packing get together next year for a bunch of friends with young kids.
@Torchwood: we're not religious. At all. But we're fine with the Christian affiliation because the intent is good.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@regberadaisy: yeah I really appreciated the real world examples in this post. I hadn't found that elsewhere. I'm going to go by this post to pack my shoeboxes. I love the soccer ball idea.
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
Yes! Totally legit! I usually use a plastic container (the ones that are meant for shoes) so the child has some sort of storage for the future.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@simplyfelicity: that's a great idea! Will save for next year.
grape / 92 posts
I used to participate in this as a kid in elementary school, but I'm personally not comfortable with them using these donations as an evangelical tool. I'd love to find an alternative.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@misolee: @snowjewelz: @Mamaof2: did any of you do the $7 tracking ticket before? When do the boxes typically get delivered? Before, on, or after Christmas? Thanks!
persimmon / 1345 posts
@Regberadaisy
I just got an email telling me where the box is going and that its on its way.
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