Second Annual Oswego Operation Christmas Child

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Oswego, NY – It might seem a little early to start packing gifts for christmas, but when the children receiving the gifts are half way around the world, right now is the perfect time. SUNY Oswego students and Oswego county residents came to Campus on Saturday to pack gifts for children of all ages in third world countries.

Volunteers had the opportunity to go through tables of gifts including, school supplies, teddy bears, quilts, letters, toys, dental hygiene supplies, and even blankets and hats for the kids in the colder nations.

Samaritan’s Purse, a non-profit organization sets up these Operation Christmas child packing parties all around the nation. SUNY Oswego professor and event coordinator Rebecca Horning spent weeks in advance planning the event.  She was more than pleased to see the amount of students that showed up on Saturday.

However after all the students are done packing, the job for Horning and Samaritan’s Purse volunteers does not end. “They tend to go to  a lot of third world countries, a lot of things near the equator, so a lot of poorer countries in the upper Africa and Lower Europe area,” said Horning.  Operation Christmas child has delivered to over 150 countries in the past and has sent out over 124 million gift boxes.

The gift boxes get sent out mid November from drop-off points throughout the nation. To find out more you can visit the Operation Christmas Child website http://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child.