October 16, 2014
Shoeboxes are now available for Operation Christmas Child – a popular program to support underprivileged youth around the world.
Donors will pick up a shoebox from the Estevan Alliance Church, or supply a box of their own. They will mark whether the container is for a boy or a girl, and the age group of the recipient.
They will then fill the boxes with age and gender-appropriate items.
Estevan and area collection centre coordinator Jillian Ursu said that more than 1,400 boxes were donated last year, and they would like to at least match that total in 2014.
Ursu has been involved with the local campaign for the last four years – working in the collection centre at the Estevan Alliance Church. But this year marks the first time she has been at the head of the local campaign.
She said Operation Christmas Child is an "amazing" cause.
"The places that the boxes go, for a lot of the children, this is the only gift that they will ever get in their lifetime," said Ursu. "You can get your family involved, and it's something that's a really good family activity that you can do together."
Individuals can also support the campaign, she said.
Some people have already come in to pick up large numbers of boxes.
Most items can be inserted into a shoe box, she said. Operation Christmas Child recommends such gifts as school supplies, hygiene items, and appropriate toys. Donors are also asked to include a personal note or a photo with their shoebox.
A donation of $7 also needs to be included to cover shipping and handling.
Items that should not be included are decks of playing cards; chewy, crumbly or soft candy, or other foods; toothpaste; liquids or other items that could leak, melt, freeze or break; and war-related toys, knives or anything else that can scare or harm a child.
Second-hand items should also be excluded from the shoe boxes.
The final collection week will be November 17 to 22 at the Estevan Alliance Church. The deadline is drop off a shoebox is Saturday, November 22.
Boxes that are collected in Estevan will be sent to Haiti, Guatemala, El Salvador, Venezuela, Uruguay, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea.