Students Plan to Pack 1,000 Christmas Shoeboxes for Underprivileged Children

It will look a little different, but Cedarville University’s Operation Christmas Child student organization isn’t letting COVID-19 stop them from hosting its annual packing party for students on November 6 from 4-8 p.m. in the Alumni Hall in the Dixon Ministry Center.

Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse that distributes gift boxes to children in more than 100 countries worldwide. They are delivered by trained pastors and community leaders who share the gospel with every child who receives a box.

This year, Cedarville students are required to sign up for specific time slots to ensure they can observe COVID-19 6-foot distancing protocols while they pack boxes.

But even with a different event this year, the co-leaders of the organization, Sarah Maue, a junior linguistics major from Homer Glen, Illinois, and Elizabeth Devine, a junior early childhood education major from Colorado Springs, Colorado, still want to meet their goal of 1,000 packed boxes.

“This is an amazing opportunity to share the Gospel with hundreds of children,” said Devine. “And it is a good opportunity for college students since it does not take a huge amount of time, even during our hectic schedules.”

To make this event happen, Maue and Devine’s team have organized coin drives throughout the resident halls on campus to raise funds to purchase items that go in the boxes. They also have received generous donations from students, faculty and sometimes local businesses.

Next semester, the team will continue to meet once a month to pray for the boxes and those who receive them. At these meetings, the team will also begin writing hundreds of personalized notes to put into next year’s boxes.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,550 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including its Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Bachelor of Arts in Primary (P-5) Education programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit  www.cedarville.edu.