“Shoebox gifts are like snowflakes—no two are alike!.”
-Franklin Graham, International President of Samaritan’s Purse
What is an OCC Gift Box Packing Party?
An OCC Packing Party is an opportunity to enjoy ministry together by gathering in one place to fold gift boxes, fill the boxes with items, write letters, and pray for the children who will be receiving these gifts boxes.
Pack OCC gift boxes with your loved ones! It is our hope that through this opportunity, you can spend time with your family, friends, and church members to fill OCC gift boxes with fun items that children will enjoy, as well as to pray for these children all around the world. The most important part of the Packing Party is to ensure that the gift boxes are fully packed, unique, and complete with an attention-grabbing “wow” item. Don’t forget to add a thoughtful hand-written letter to each gift box at the end and share the love of God with your recipient!
1.Set a Goal and Plan
Set a goal of how many OCC gift boxes your church or group would like to pack together (we recommend about 30 to 50 gift boxes). After setting the goal, don’t forget to also collect the 20,000 KRW donation per gift box (the 20,000 KRW donation covers the cost for processing, shipping, and the follow-up discipleship program). Finally, set a date, time and location for your Packing Party and inform your participants. It usually takes about about 1 to 2 hours to pack the gift boxes together.
2. Order OCC Gift Boxes and Prepare the Gifts
1) Order OCC Gift Boxes (free of charge): Please place an order for your OCC gift boxes on the website prior to your Packing Party date according to your target goal.
2) Prepare Gifts: Go shopping and buy different kinds of gifts for your child based on their age and gender. Make sure that each gift box is filled with unique and different items. Each OCC gift box consists of an average of 10 to 15 items and because this could be the first gift ever that the child receives, fill the gift boxes with quality items that will last.
When purchasing items, each participant can choose to bring in one item in bulk according to the total number of gift boxes that will be packed and form an assembly line, or the church/group can choose to purchase all the different types of items in bulk.
3. Host the Packing Party
1) Before you start filling the gift boxes with special gifts, make sure to explain the mission of Operation Christmas Child so that participants understand the ministry. Each gift box represents an opportunity for children who do not yet know Christ to hear the Gospel. This is the reason we pack gift boxes and send them all around the world every year.
2) Fold the OCC gift boxes together and fill each gift box with a wide variety of items.
3) Include a hand-written letter for the child with the other items and secure the gift box with a rubber band.
4) Explain the purpose of the 20,000 KRW donation per gift box from participants and make the donation through the website once it is all collected. (Please send us the donor list as specified in the project leader guide).
4. Pray
Prayer is a pivotal part of the life-changing experience of a child receiving a gift box. Take some time to pray together before and after you begin packing and pray that each child will encounter Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of all.
5. Take a Group Photo
Take videos and photos during your packing party and after you are done packing the gift boxes, take a group photo and share it on social media using the #OCCgiftbox hashtag. Feel free to tag us at @sp_kor as well.
6. Promote Operation Christmas Child
Promote the ministry to other people within and outside of your church or group, using personal connections to invite them to an upcoming Packing Party!
