Every year in October the Women of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Remsen organize a shoebox drive.
Each year they ask our congregation as well as Faith Lutheran of Marcus to help fill shoeboxes that are given to children all over the world. This is a small part of Operation Christmas Child that happens all over the country and world. If you choose to fill a shoebox, you will first need to get a box that is provided, then chose who you are putting the box together for. The options are girls or boys from the ages of 2 to 14 which are broke down into three age groups. Once you decide you start filling the box with age-appropriate items from a wow item, such as a toy to items that they would need every day. They also have a suggested list of items on their website to follow.
The Women’s group of St. Paul was not the only group involved in making the shoebox collection possible. The Endowment committee helped fill boxes and will pay the postage to help get the 52 boxes to their destination. Also, the congregation prayed over the boxes on Sunday November 12, before they left our church.
There is a national date of collection in November and many places that will collect the boxes. The shoeboxes from St. Paul and Faith Lutheran churches will be delivered to Oakdale church where they will be picked up and taken to a bigger city. Once they reach this destination they will be sorted and checked to make sure there are no items that cannot be sent. From there the individual boxes are packed into larger boxes to be sent to their destination
Operation Christmas Child is a wonderful way to spread Christmas cheer and love to those who have very little in their lives. The shoebox is a very precious gift and a blessing for each child because this may be the only thing they receive for the entire year.