Operation Christmas Child

For the past few years school children throughout Ireland have been participating in the Operation Christmas Child Project. Having wrapped a medium-sized shoe box with Christmas paper, boys and girls fill the boxes with small gifts to be distributed to children who are less well off than themselves. Last year in excess of 300,000 shoe boxes were sent from Ireland as part of Operation Christmas Child. The gifts were given to children in eastern Europe and Africa. Some of the recipients were in hospitals and orphanages, others live on the streets or in desperately needy neighbourhoods. The boxes are given to children in need, regardless of their nationality political background or religious beliefs. Many of those children have nothing and the shoe box will be their only Christmas present.

The boys of C.B.S. Primary School in Wexford put together a total of 100 boxes. School Principal, Jos Furlong, feels that it great for the boys to participate.

"With less than five weeks to go to Christmas, our boys have lots to look forward to. For most of us we will end up with more gifts than we really need. In taking the time to wrap the box and fill it with gifts the boys have shown, in a practical way, their care for others. The boxes have been on display in the office window for the past week and the boys have enjoyed seeing the number increasing each day".

The boxes collected in Wexford will leave town by juggernaut on Saturday next, 25 November.

Operation Christmas Child is organized by the international Christian charity, Samaritan's Purse. This charity works with people who live with poverty, HIV/AIDS or other illnesses, or victims of the effects of natural disasters or conflicts.