Operation Christmas Child

Howdy, y'all!  This weekend is off to a great start so far, and I hope yours is, too.  I completed my first 8K race today, so expect a race recap coming up soon!

The holiday season is always a good reminder for me that Jesus calls us to give of ourselves to help others.  One of my favorite ways to do this during the holidays is Operation Christmas Child.

Image Source

Put on by Samaritan's Purse, OCC calls for people to fill a shoebox with toys, treats, and school and hygiene supplies for needy children all around the world.  You choose the gender and age range, pack the box, and submit it to one of their drop-off locations.

Joe and I usually fill two boxes, one for a boy and one for a girl.  We selected the age range 5-9 for each of them.

It's collection week for OCC, so we've got our boxes ready to go.  We're taking them to our church, which participates in the program and provided these boxes for members to fill.

If you'd like to fill a shoebox, the collection week goes through Monday!  Find a drop-off location near you (and make sure they are still accepting boxes, too).

If you are feeling like donating money to worthy causes this holiday season, here are some links to help you do so:

• I'm sure you heard about the typhoon that devastated the Philippines.  Donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief or Samaritan's Purse Relief
• Salvation Army holds Angel Tree at Christmas time.  Visit their website to contact your local Salvation Army to get an Angel.  You can also help during distribution, which I've done a few times in Richmond, and it is SO MUCH FUN and heart-warming to see the kids pick up their gifts.
• You can donate to Kellsie's Hope Foundation in support of me running the Disney Princess Half Marathon as a part of Kellsie's Krew.  You can mail in a donation, or just click that link, click on my name (Amy Herring), and you can donate via PayPal. 
• Local food banks are always in need, so check out Feeding America's site to find a food bank near you.
• An acquaintance of mine, Cristina, suddenly lost her husband yesterday.  They're newlyweds, he was about to graduate from Palmer Chiropractic (where Joe attends school), and she is pregnant and due in June.  Some friends have created a website to donate to their family.  Click here to read more about Cristina's situation, see a beautiful video of their wedding, and donate if you feel so inclined.

Question for you: Any charitable opportunities you would like to share?  Please post them in the comments if you have them!