Oneida—In November, Oneida Baptist Institute donated 32 shoeboxes of toys, hygiene items and school supplies to the Samaritan’s Purse project, “Operation Christmas Child.”
Oneida’s middle school science students provided the items for their 14 boxes and assembled them in class. The sophomore English classes put together five boxes with items donated by their teacher, and they added Christmas greetings written in different languages.
The school’s Baptist Campus Ministry made seven boxes and included personal notes and a group photo. One of the BCM members donated the shipping fees for the group’s boxes.
Six more boxes, plus the remaining shipping costs, came from faculty, staff and the family of OBI day students.
Orloff Phillips, a junior from Pennsylvania, enjoyed the opportunity to help pack shoeboxes. He said, “I liked the thought of other kids in other countries being happy with something that I put together for them.”
Krista Throne, a sophomore from Michigan, was glad that the Baptist Campus Ministry voted to make packing shoeboxes a group project. “We worked together to make a difference,” she said. “It showed us that there are many ways we can make a difference in the world even if it’s in small ways.”
The Operation Christmas Child effort at OBI was sponsored by Susette Clark, OBI student coordinator. She is also one of 80,000 volunteers who sorted the shoeboxes at eight locations. For the second year in a row, Clark will spend Thanksgiving weekend at the processing center in North Carolina.
“I like Operation Christmas Child because it is a simple path to evangelism. Gifts of ordinary items that we take for granted make a huge difference in other parts of the world and show the love of Jesus,” Clark said. (OBI)