For a good cause: Operation Christmas Child takes flight

By Nicola Ceccato

Sep 18, 2023

For a good cause: (from back left) Maddison Gurnick, Levi Reddrop-Miller, Clara Takla; (front) Peyton Miller, Elijah Winn and Maddelyn Fletcher are just some of the many students proud of their efforts in this year’s Operation Christmas Child. Photo by Nicola Ceccato

Thanks to Shepparton Christian College, there will be 110 children somewhere in the world with something to smile about this Christmas.

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Over the past few weeks, the Christian College took part in Operation Christmas Child – an annual donation drive by the Samaritan’s Purse.

Operation Christmas Child is a program that encourages people to pack shoeboxes filled with items for disadvantaged children from various parts of the world to open up on Christmas Day.

Shepparton Christian College primary co-ordinator Lynda Harland has helped run the program every year since it started nearly 10 years ago.

Mrs Harland said the program for the school is not just about the physical act of giving, it’s also about teaching the students the importance of blessing someone else.

“It gets them actively thinking about not only what these kids need but also how children overseas don’t have so many of the things that they just take for granted here, which is part of what we do with our focus on missions at the school,” Mrs Harland said.

“Within each box, they’ve got something in there to love, something to play with, something for education, something for hygiene, and something to wear.”

With the help of the student leadership group, Prep to Year 12 students either brought in items to put in the boxes in their class or packed them at home with their parents.

Other families contributed by paying the postage costs of the boxes.

The school saw the program’s effects first-hand on a mission trip in Thailand a few years ago.

“We had a family that we were staying with and their little girl was still carrying around her Operation Christmas Child box six months later, with one item left in that box,” Mrs Harland said.

“She didn’t know that we had been part of the Operation Christmas Child, so here she was with the one toy she had left in her box.

“Those boxes are very much treasured by the children.”

Marketing and office manager Kristen Doherty said the total 110 boxes packed by the school was impressive, considering it followed the school’s recent homeless sleep-out donation drive, which took place only a month ago.

“The students ate soup and bread, packed packs for the homeless and slept over for the night,” Mrs Doherty said.

“All the items for the packs were donated by the school community.

“To see people donating like this almost straightaway is just really nice.

“We filled up, I think, two trailer loads, and it was just outstanding for them to come and serve, volunteer and give to this program.”