PHOTO/ Melanie Cho Seniors Stephanie Lee and Emma Panova package boxes for Operation Christmas Child in Room 705. Christian Club meets there every Monday, and made 11 boxes this year.
By Melanie Cho,
Staff Writer
Pleasant memories flooded through senior Emma Panova’s mind while she arranged miniature toys and hygiene items in an Operation Christmas Child shoebox on Nov. 19.
Panova recalled opening her own OCC box more than 10 years ago and how the feeling of excitement welled up within her after seeing a sweet treat inside: jellybeans. She also discovered a glamorous fashion accessory, a fluffy boa which she quickly placed around her neck and a massive bubble wand. She received this present after an annual Christmas puppet show in her Ukrainian church. While she rummaged through the contents of the shoebox, it warmed her heart that someone out there cared.
This year, the Christian Club participated in OCC by packing gifts. The members will purchase items for children, such as school supplies or toys, and place them in a shoebox-sized box or a purchased OCC box with a label. The labels indicate what age range the box is appropriate for, ranging from 2 to 14, as well as whether the box is for a boy or a girl.
“I decided Christian Club should do OCC this year, especially since what happened last year with COVID-19,” Christian Club President senior Stephanie Lee said. “I think it’s definitely something we need right now. It’s impactful and amazing to be able to give boxes to others who are close to our age and in the end reminds me of the part of giving on Christmas.”
Samaritan’s Purse, a worldwide Christian relief group, holds a yearly project called OCC which develops and distributes Christmas presents around the world. The organization sends these boxes in an attempt to promote Christianity through booklets and programs. The Greatest Gift Gospel booklet, which they add to every box, contains 11 Bible stories. They also encourage children to take part in a program that teaches them about Christianity.
Samaritan’s Purse sends these boxes to impoverished countries all over the world. Just as Panova received her present years ago, the box she packed may be heading to a puppet show for eager children to unwrap.
“It’s exciting that I can prepare a box for other kids,” Panova said. “I want them to experience what I felt, and hopefully they’ll feel happy to receive the box of gifts and feel the joy of Christmas.”