Operation Christmas Child January 2012

On behalf of Samaritan's Purse International I would like to thank everyone who was involved in any way with last year’s shoebox appeal. Over 800 shoebox gifts were collected from Thrapston & district. So very well done!

But please don't forget about this amazing project & if you see something suitable please start collecting. Please carry on knitting, we never have enough hats and scarves and we can always use unwanted wool, fabric, beads, buttons and ribbons.

These simple gifts do make such a difference to the lives of the children who receive them.

If you would like to know more about the project as an individual or as a group now is the time to get in touch with me. We are holding a fundraising Coffee Morning [all funds to go to the shoeboxes] on 25th Feb. 10am-1pm in St James Church Hall Thrapston. we would value your support. 

Jean Fouhy [ 01832 735021 ]  

December 2011 Update

By the time you read this the 2011 campaign will have finished. In the warehouses, including ours here in Thrapston, over 8000 shoebox gifts were processed and packed into cartons ready for the lorry to collect.   On 2nd December they began their long journey to Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia and the Crimean Ukraine.  

Thank you to all those who have filled boxes or given items to put into boxes or money to sponsor the boxes. 

I know they are going to give so much joy to the children who receive them.

A special thank you goes to all the helpers who process the boxes and especially the amazing team who made  our Shoe Box Gift Day on November 5th such a success. We have been overwhelmed by your generosity.

We have processed over 800 boxes from the Thrapston area.  WELL DONE!

Special thanks go to Thrapston Primary School, The King John School, Great Addington Primary School. Thanks also to Vincent Sykes & Higham and the Thrapston Town Council Office our drop off points.

Once again thank you for your support of Operation Christmas Child 2011.

On behalf of Samaritan's Purse International we wish you a very Happy Christmas.

Jean Fouhy

Operation Christmas Child in Thrapston

For the last 6 years there has been a team of people helping with processing the boxes collected in Thrapston and the surrounding area. The number we collect has been growing each year and reached almost 700 in 2010 to add to the 10,000 being processed in the Northampton warehouse and for this we thank you.    
Why not get involved yourself this year there is still time up to the 18th November! You can go online  and find out more at www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk, you can call 0870 0112002 or you can speak to  Jean Fouhy [a Registered Volunteer with the charity] on 07837084939  Please share in this opportunity to make a difference in the life of a needy child. This is the power of a simple shoe box gift!Empty boxes can be picked up on Saturdays 10-12 from St James church.
Full boxes should be taken to Vincent Sykes & Higham in Chancery Lane Thrapston, from the 1st - 18th November.We are holding a Shoe Box Day in St. James Church Hall Thrapston  [ next to the Church] from 10am-2pm on the 5th November. Please come and find out more. There will be fundraising stalls, refreshments and the opportunity to drop off your shoe box gift or sponsor a ready-made gift.      
All are very welcome. More details: 07837084939

Why do we need £2.50 for each box?

In order to run the OCC Campaign, the charity has to pay for promotion, transport, processing and distribution of every box. We make up a great many boxes with the items given to us and these all need a £2.50.

Fundraising Coffee Morning July 2011

Despite torrential rain we were very well supported and people enjoyed socialising after browsing through the gifts, plants & produce stalls. There was interest shown in the displays of “How to pack a shoe box” and the final updates on last year’s campaign both locally and throughout the UK. Over £350 was raised, enough to fund the £2.50 administration charge for approximately 150 boxes. Many thanks to all those who supported us. Keep up the good work only 3 months to go! OCC is just on the horizon!

Jean Fouhy

Operation Christmas Child

From you to a child in need ...

Operation Christmas Child is the largest children's Christmas project in the world, run by the Christian charity Samaritan's Purse. In 2010, we celebrated 20 years of this special shoebox appeal, which has already brought joy into the lives of over 80 million children worldwide. In its simplest form, it is all about a gift – given by you to a child in need. You wrap and pack it, we check and send it, and our partners overseas deliver it. It’s that simple.
Last year, over 500,000 people from right across the UK and Ireland got involved - including many churches, schools and workplaces. Children and adults alike wrapped and packed almost 1.2 million shoeboxes (from the UK) full of gifts and goodies, which were then sent to orphans and vulnerable children living in often difficult circumstances overseas. Each shoebox goes on a remarkable journey, involving children and adults wrapping and packing, an army of volunteers checking and preparing, overseas partners delivering, and the children who need them most receiving and experiencing God’s love at Christmas.

Packing a Shoe box ...

Choosing gifts to put in your shoebox is a really fun part of getting involved in Operation Christmas Child. There is something very rewarding about giving to a child you will probably never meet in this world – especially when you know your simple act of kindness will be felt and appreciated in more ways than you can ever imagine. There are lots of ideas in the leaflet together with the boy/girl stickers for your shoe box lid.

Once you have decided whether to give your shoebox to a boy or girl, you need to think carefully about gifts that would be most appropriate for the age group you have selected.

P.S. Before you spend all your money on great shoebox gifts, don't forget to put £2.50 aside for the shoebox donation. There is an envelope in the leaflet for your donation or you can pay on line. Gift aiding is very beneficial to the charity.

Please do not include:

Food or medicine especially chocolate; non-chocolate sweets are allowed
War related items Toy guns, soldiers or knives of any kind
Clothing other than hats gloves & scarves
Fragile items and dangerous items glass containers, mirrors, sharp objects, scissors or razors
Liquids including blow bubbles, shampoo, bubble bath, toiletry sets or aerosols
Novels; and nothing of a political nature.
Hand knitted stuffed toys without a manufacturer’s CE mark