Operation Christmas Child

How do you teach your child about giving? I told you guys a while back about one of my strongest memories of giving when my mami had us hand out pennies after traveling to Dominican Republic. In this video, I share a little about how a stranger impacted my mom’s life with a simple gift and how now, the frog princess and I will do the same thanks to The Blog Frog and Operation Christmas Child. Better still? You can too! The frog princess and I built a box online and will be heading to the store to pick up items to build one at home as well so that she can physically touch the items that another child will end up playing with. I really want her to grasp this concept and look forward to this being the first of many giving projects that we participate in together.

http://youtu.be/HkLgPkO8NjM

National collection week will be November 12 – 19. This week Samaritan’s Purse is having a virtual packing party October 22 – 26 and you can join them on Facebook! I hope that you will join us in this great project of love. Here’s some helpful information to keep in mind:

1. Pack a box! Use an empty shoe box (standard size, please) or a small plastic container. You can wrap the box (lid separately), but wrapping is not required. If you belong to a church a lot of them are participating in this program and handing out these cool little boxes:
2. Are you packing a gift for a boy or a girl? Also, what’s the child’s age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14? You can download a label online or click the Follow Your Box option to get a special label to learn the destination of you shoe box gift.
3. Fill the box with a variety of gifts such as toys, school supplies, and hygiene items. A list of suggested gift items is available here.
4. Please donate $7 or more for each shoe box you prepare to help cover shipping and other project costs. You can give online by using our Follow Your Box option, or you can write a check to Samaritan’s Purse (note “OCC” on memo line) and place it in an envelope on top of the gift items inside your box. If you or your family are preparing more than one shoe box, please make one combined donation.
5. Drop Off. Click here to find the closest drop-off location during you and drop off your box during OCC’s National Collection Week, Nov. 12-19, 2012.

I love that we will be able to track our box. Even better? I love that not only can you build-a-box, you can gift a box. Basically you can purchase a box in someone’s name and they will receive an email so that they can select the items that go in the box for a child. How cool is that and talk about the gift of giving. Now you know what you can get me for Christmas! Will you take the pledge to make ONE box for a needy child?

This holiday season build a box with your family to teach kindness, compassion, and generosity.

Operation Christmas Child and influencer marketing platform BlogFrog have teamed up with 200 bloggers like me to spread the word about this great cause.

BlogFrog will match the first 200 boxes that are built.  Pledge your commitment below to build a box today on Facebook or Twitter!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. The opinions and text are all mine.