Campus shoebox drive kicks off towards 400-box goal

With the weather cooling down and choir starting to practice Christmas music, many students take time to look past their own borders. As in years past, FCS students support Operation Christmas Child, an international relief program aiming to spread the Gospel through gift-packed shoeboxes.

Student leadership showed three promo videos for Operation Christmas Child in last Tuesday’s chapel, Oct. 10, kicking off the shoebox drive. This is an all-school fundraising effort, as elementary, junior high and high school students are all encouraged to be involved. Boxes will be collected until Thursday, Nov. 16.

Each year, student leadership sets a school packing goal. After exceeding last year’s target of 300 boxes, leadership raised the bar this year by challenging the school to collect 400. The program is sponsored internationally by the Samaritan’s Purse organization.

In order to reach and pass the goal, junior high English and history teacher Diane Blowers stepped up to help organize a packing competition between the seventh and eighth grades. Blowers composed an Amazon wish list, and along with help from JH teacher Katie Reneau, plans on holding a shoebox packing party, Nov. 6, during homeroom.

“We decided this year to make it a little more interesting and try and get the kids excited about Christmas boxes,” Blowers said. “And so we are competing to see who can pack the most, either seventh or eighth grade. On our next homeroom day, once all the supplies are brought in or delivered, we’re going to have a big packing party. At the end of homeroom, we are going to count all of our boxes and then whoever wins is going to get some grand prize; at least donuts but we might have a bigger grand prize than that.”

With FCS enrollment increasing, some new students heard about Operation Christmas Child for the first time this year. Coming in from Firebaugh HS, Ty Coffman, ’20, became inspired to pack a shoebox and hopefully influence a kid’s eternity.

“This is my first time hearing about Operation Christmas Child because my old school has never been a part of it,” Coffman said. “I thought that Operation Christmas Child was really neat and gave all those kids a chance to cherish something and learn about God and what He did for us. They give every kid a chance that they never had before. My goal is to make a box and turn it in because I feel like I should help give kids a present.”

Amazon and other online stores (including Samaritan’s Purse‘s Box-Builder) changed how many families donate. One lesson Blowers hopes students will learn is how to use these tools for helping as many kids as possible.

“You could go and spend $20 at the store to pack your own box, or you could go on Amazon and spend $23 and get 100 toothbrushes,” Blowers said. “And so there’s the importance of how much you could get that could go so much further for those in need. We didn’t want it to be so much about ‘me and what I want’ but rather how could you help it and make it go further and help more kids.”

Maximizing bang for the buck is important to many box-packers. However, many families and students see making their Christmas present to an impoverished kid personal as equally vital. Jake Blackburn, ’23, says that while what goes into the box matters, shopping and packing as a family is more meaningful.

“I packed shoeboxes when I was in fifth and sixth grade,” Blackburn said. “My parents and I bought all the toys, art supplies, and hygiene items at shops because we felt that it was more meaningful to us.”

The following Feather team video provides how-to instructions for purchasing and packing an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. Please deliver them to Foshee’s room by Nov. 9, including the $7 donation for shipping.

Regardless of how a box is made, one thing Samaritan’s Purse ensures is that every package contains a translated booklet explaining the Gospel. For children who have never received a gift, this simple gesture can be life-changing. ASB President Roman Endicott, ’18, challenged every student during the last assembly to bring at least one shoebox.

Empty shoeboxes can be picked up in Room 608 and turned in the same place.

For last year’s Operation Christmas Child article, check out Donate an Operation Christmas Child shoe box. For more articles, read 500th anniversary of the Reformation continues to affect Christianity.

This author can be reached via email: Bryce Foshee.