Canadians pack just over 415,000 shoeboxes for children in need

It was another record-breaking year in the packing of shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. A total of 415,072 shoeboxes were packed with care by Canadians. Along with 88,717 of those being put together by Albertans. That is an increase of 11 per cent compared to 2021. Lethbridge also came up huge with 2150 shoeboxes.

Frank King, the news media relations manager for Samaritan’s Purse Canada explained which countries were gifted the special shoeboxes.

“Shoeboxes packed by generous Canadians are distributed to countries in Central America. Places like Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador. They’re also distributed in French speaking Africa, places like Senegal and the Gambia. And this year, two new countries where Canadian shoeboxes are going, that’s the Philippines. And the country that really excites me is the Ukraine. So Ukrainian children, who have lost so much in the past year from this horrible invasion, they’re going to get Canadian shoeboxes to bring them joy and hope as well.”

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 209-thousand shoeboxes to children in over 170 countries.

King says you can pack a shoebox year-round. You can visit https://packabox.samaritanspurse.ca/