Looking for a worthy cause to contribute to this weekend? This is the final weekend to donate to Operation Christmas Child, put on by Samaritan’s Purse. This is something we do every year. You can select whether or not you want to send a shoebox (or plastic bin) to a boy or girl and what age. We usually pick boys since we have so many! This year I took all the children shopping to pick out presents to fill our boxes with. You’d be surprised how much you can fit into a shoe box. Some of the things we put in were: T-shirt, hat, toothpaste, toothbrush, pencils, crayons, post-its, notepads, legos, matchbox cars, soap, washcloths, and hard candy. See? A lot will fit into a shoe box!
Here’s the kids before they filled the boxes! Notice the littlest one who really wanted all the stuff!
Here’s some of the stuff we put in there!
If you are interested, I think there is still time to fill up a box for a child of your choice. I hope that all of us who are blessed with so much will find a few different ways to share with others. Do you have something special you do each Christmas season? If you’d like to share, I’ll compile a list so others can have ideas. Diane
For information on Samaritan’s Purse click on the picture below!
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Diane, what a wonderful idea!!! I try to do Toys for Tots or give to children with cancer.
Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..In Memory of Mom; Saturday Funny for Her
We do Operation Christmas Child every year too. It is a easy way to make a difference for someone else.
South Beach Steve´s last blog ..Update Six – The Hot 100
What a beautiful family! I think it is so cool to get the kids involved in helping those that need more than we do. We have a local organization and have sponsored a family. It feels so good to help out!
diane I love this post – you are really passing on so much value to your children…. oh and what a beautiful family

my kashi diet´s last blog ..there is no try
A wonderful tradition!
what a great way to exercise your spirit!
BEAUTIFUL family.
Gina Fit by 41, Maybe 42´s last blog ..The Green Smoothie aka Shrek Shake
Beautiful kids. Good thought for a charity. We also like Coats for Kids– http://www.coats-for-kids.org/.
Larkspur´s last blog ..Hottie Update & The Plan
Such a fantastic idea…
This year it was the first time the people in South Africa were able to participate in this good cause…I know all the women in my family went to the website chose a child and went out to build up the box…everyone was so excited.
What a beautiful family you have…you are blessed!
Marcelle´s last blog ..I love this!
What a wonderful and worthy campaign. And how beautiful it is to get the entire family involved. What a gift!
Joanna Sutter´s last blog ..Sunday School
Got mine finished last week and bringing the shoebox into church this morning. We do it every year.
Laura´s last blog ..Thoughtful
Whevever somebody asks me, “What do you want for the holidays this year,” as in, they’re asking me what they can get for me, I ask them to donate to my favorite charity.
Amy H.´s last blog ..Looking to the Future – 266
Beautiful family. You have tackled and won the weight loss challenge, at the same time you have taken on a bigger family challenge than most people even consider. Makes me realize that using our life’s demands as an excuse to not lose weight is pretty weak.
Beth´s last blog ..Back in Business
Love it! Me and my co-workers adopt Salvation Army angels, it’s a fun tradition and nice to give back around the holidays!
fittingbackin´s last blog ..Book Review, New Breakfast Recipe, 6 miles/legs/chest/triceps
I used to do those! It was fun and I always felt glad to be sending someone else something.
Our local Christian radion station does a really big promotion of this, and has done so for several years. It’s a really great program.

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This is a great idea! Our school does a canned food drive this year. I am keeping my eyes open for what to help with locally. Still on a tighter student budget, but we do what we can!
I have a picture of my kids with their boxes up on my blog today, too!
We have done it for the past three years. We get a boy box for the boy and a girl box for the girl and they choose what goes in them. It also gives us a chance to see what they would like for Christmas as we go down the toy aisle.
Another thing I did a few years ago, was to throw a “baby shower” for a crisis nursery here in town. I had a whole carload of stuff to deliver to them, especially after my office cleared out some stuff they didn’t want anymore that the nursery needed. It felt really good to give all that to them. I would have done it again this year if it hadn’t been for the fact that my house is in disarray.
Stacy´s last blog ..Flying by…
OCC is a great program, we do it at our church, too.
And we have that same Star Wars dictionary at our house, too. You must have a SW nut, also.
This is a really small thing, but I do it every year. Instead of buying an expensive cut of meat for the big holiday dinner for my extended family, I go through my recipes to find a dish that’s economical but too much effort to make for everyday. And that’s what I make for the Christmas meal. For example I’ll make a fussy recipe for middle eastern chicken with black olives and rice pilaf rather than making a beef tenderloin- which is very expensive, especially near the holidays. Then I write a nice check to Salvation Army, and put it in the bucket outside the grocery store. I figure the cost difference between beef tenderloin for a large group and chicken for a large group provides a complete Christmas for another family. Plus, by making my donation in the form of a check, I can deduct it on my taxes.
What a worthy cause… We have something similar here.
You have a beautiful family!
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