Earlier this month, Sterling High School’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes club packaged shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. On November 6, members of the FCA club at S.H.S. used supplies that they had gathered and purchased to create gift packages for children in need. Days prior, members of the club obtained toys, school supplies, and hygiene items to poverty-stricken and disadvantaged children.
Operation Christmas Child is a project by Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization, that collects and delivers shoebox gifts to children in need. This is done to demonstrate the love of God by providing practical and playful gifts to children.
Since 1993, the OCC has collected and delivered more than 220 million shoebox gifts to more than 170 different countries and territories around the world.
The club has participated in OCC for over 10 years, and this year has been the greatest success yet.
Senior FCA member Lisandra Calderon stated, “We’ve never had numbers like these. In past years, we’ve done 10 boxes at most so I’m really glad we could come together this year and do 27 boxes.”
Long-time member senior Kyle Hutchison told his grandparents that FCA was participating in OCC last year. Hutchison shared, “They were overjoyed and passionately offered their supplies to be used by the school.” And this year, “they have doubled the amount of supplies they provided for FCA” which allowed for the record breaking 27 shoeboxes made this year.
Teacher and FCA club advisor Mark Jackson said, “It feels really great to set a record for the number of boxes that we packed this year.”
He receives an email each year stating where the packaged boxes were sent. In past years, the boxes have been sent to places like Zambia and Rwanda, Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. He likes that FCA is “able to have an impact on the lives of the children that receive these boxes and their families as well.”
The FCA club at S.H.S. has truly embodied the spirit of giving through their participation in Operation Christmas Child. Their dedication and community cheer have brought joy to many children, and they look forward to continuing this tradition in the future.
