Youth with a Passion ~ Behind the Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes: Stories of Sharing

Today's Behind the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox story shows us that we are never too young to dedicate ourselves to a project we are passionate about.  Cora has found a creative way to fund her passion (I've included several pictures of her products from her blog for you to see).

Hello! My name is Cora, I am 14 years old, and I hand-make bookmarks and jewelry to raise money for Samaritan's Purse / Operation Christmas Child. I blog

Upcycled Ladies' Skirts to Little Girls' Dresses for Operation Christmas Child Sheoboxes

Finished Dresses

My daughter was gathering items to donate to Goodwill and knew that I was interested in upcycling items into new gifts for my Operation Christmas Child Shoebox gifts.  She had these two cotton skirts that were perfect for turning into pillowcase style dresses for a 2 to 4 years old girl's shoebox!

Thankful to Give to Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Collection

Thankful to see this sweet little one in Uganda in a dress I made.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States, my mind and heart agree that I am thankful to be on the giving end of the Operation Christmas Child shoebox.

May I work harder than ever this year to share with those in need, encourage and inspire others who also give, and next Thanksgiving may I be able to look back and be thankful for what I have been privileged to accomplish.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Organizing for Packing Shoe Boxes All Year Long

With national collection week behind us, those of us packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, are ready to begin thinking about the boxes we will give in 2014.  By shopping and crafting all year long we can pack our boxes for less and either pack more or pack them fuller.  I wanted to share a simple way to organize your shopping/packing to be able to keep up with your fillers for those of you packing a few to several boxes.  If you are planning on packing several dozen or hundreds check out this spread sheet I made a few years ago: Shoebox Supplies Check Off List--You can print them off, tuck them in a notebook and check them off as you shop all year and you will know when you have enough of each item.

Find your empty shoeboxes--ask shoe stores & stores like Kmart with

CVS Freebies Add to My Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Stockpile for 2014

What is better than getting free stuff for your Operation Christmas Child shoebox stockpile?  Having someone else shop for you and getting it free.  My daughter Sarah is a CVS expert.  I started a blog, Simply CVS, a few years back and last summer I turned it over to her...she is the real CVS expert of the family.  Today's shopping trip netted her some great household items, but also some great items for our shoe box stockpile:  all for free.

1 - Orbit Gum @ $1.00 get $1.00 extra bucks back
1 -- React 5 Gum @ $1.00 get $1.00 extra bucks back
**3 -- Gum Toothbrushes double pack @ $2.00 each get $2.00 extra bucks back each (ad says limit one, but after checking out one the receipt said she could get

No-Sew Fleece Bunny Tutorial ~ Perfectly Sized for an Operation Christmas Child Shoebox

When my daughters were little I saw little bunnies made out of washcloths that were to be used to tuck an ice cube into.  They were called boo-boo bunnies.  I have made many over the years for many children.  I remember making a mini one once for a doll that I was dressing for a Christmas doll collection.  It slipped over the dolls hand--I thought it looked adorable with her all dressed for bed with a