Let’s celebrate what God has done–there were 9,113,853 shoebox gifts donated worldwide in 2020! This includes 7,809,410 donated in the U.S. Each box is a Gospel Opportunity. It’s amazing to know that over 9 million children will hear the Good News of Jesus Christ because they lovingly packed a shoebox!
In March we will be collecting toothbrushes to pack inside of shoeboxes. (Please remember that we cannot accept donations of toothpaste.) There is a box in the lobby of Littlestown Chapel for your items, or we can arrange to pick them up. Just contact us to let us know!
March is also National Craft Month! Quality crafts like handmade hats, dolls, teddy bears, and gloves make very special items to include in shoebox gifts. To find tips and ideas for year-round crafting, shopping, and packing, you can check out these Project Leader Reasorces or reach out to Wendy Burkett for patterns.
Our Prayer Requests for March:
• Praise God for all aspects of the National Area Coordinator Summit!
• Praise God for clear direction and goals for 2025!
• Praise God for 100% attendance by Mid-Atlantic North (MAN) leader volunteers.
• Pray for all area teams as they enter a time of planning for 2021 and beyond.
• Pray for deeper relationships between area teams and project leaders.
• Pray for opportunities for conversations about volunteering with OCC.
• Pray for leadership in 2 developing teams
• Pray for Area Teams to have unity, humility, and teachability.
What We’re Collecting:
For planning purposes the following items will be collected each month. (Of course, if there is a bargain out there, you can collect these items any time!)
April – Small Toys, Books, and stickers
May – Girl’s Clothing
Jun – Boy’s Clothing
Jul – Jewelry, hair clips, sunglasses, fishing tackle, sewing items, etc
Aug – School Supplies
Sep –Cold Weather items
Oct – Money for shipping and letters to a child – Donations for shipping are welcomed throughout the year.
Nov – Packing Party (multiple dates)
National Collection Week is November 15th – 22nd , 2021!
To see the numbers of what we’ve collected to date, be sure to visit the Donate page!
Upcoming events:
Annual Chicken BBQ – Dates to be determined!
Paint Nite Event – Stay tuned for news about our next one!
Like Nehemiah, there is power when people work together towards a specific goal.