The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
If you had stuck your head in the West Central High School Home Economics room the morning of November 20, you would have seen a flurry of activity as fifteen students scrambled around, filling empty shoeboxes with small toys, school supplies, and hygiene items.
The reason? Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse that sends Christmas gifts to children in need overseas.
The project began at West Central a month ago with the collaboration of the school's FFA and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) students. FFA chapters nationwide participate in this annual holiday event and FCA students helped organize and lead the donation process at the high school. Students set up a table outside the high school where donation items could be dropped off, and reminders were given in the morning announcements.
An international sports-based ministry geared toward coaches and athletes, FCA at West Central sees roughly fifteen students that gather before school every Thursday morning for breakfast and a faith-centered, sports-focused, message.
Ask any of the students involved and they will tell you they are looking forward to the possibility of a short-term missions trip next summer.
The world's largest Christmas project of its kind, Operation Christmas Child uses gift-filled shoeboxes to share God's love in a tangible way with needy children around the world.
Over 100,000 volunteers across the United States are involved with the collecting, shipping, and distribution of shoebox gifts.
After being collected, the shoeboxes are prepared for their journey overseas at one of the nine major processing centers nationwide.
Samaritan's Purse hopes to reach 10 million children through Operation Christmas Child in 2014.