Have you ever wanted to get involved in missions & help make a difference, but you’re not able to go across the country or to the other side of the world? Well, I have a few ways you can help do mission work all from the comfort of your own home:
1.Kid’s meals toys: if your kids or your grandchildren go to your local fast food restaurant and they get duplicate toys, and you’ve already left & can’t go exchange the toy- please prayerfully consider donating the toy for Operation Christmas Child. Kid’s meal toys are perfect for shoeboxes.
2. Little Hotel/Motel soaps: I’m not asking you to raid the housekeeper’s cart- but if you have an extra bar of soap- or if you’re like me & your carry your own bottle of hand soap & body wash just so you can keep the little soaps- please consider giving them to be used in shoeboxes. Last year I put a couple of small bars with every big bar of soap.
3. Pens/Pencils/Notepads: A lot of trade shows, farm shows, conventions, some motels/hotels have items with their company/ business name for free – some businesses even bring by notepads & pens to your office. Pens, pencils & notepads with business names are great for shoeboxes. The kids won’t mind the advertisement.
4.Drink tabs/pop tabs: The Ronald McDonald House collects these tabs & recycles them to help families stay near the hospital while their child is sick. I will be collecting these tabs & will take them to the Ronald McDonald House in Winston Salem.
5. Printer Cartridges: the Baptist Children’s Home collects printer/toner cartridges & recycles them to help fund their homes. Once I have a big box full, I will take them to the Children’s Home in Thomasville.
6. Cosmetic gifts with purchase: You know how a lot of makeup counters at Belk/Macy’s/Dillard’s, etc have a free gift with purchase – well those little cosmetic bags/zippered pouches are great for shoeboxes. If you’re like me, you’ll use the same cosmetic bag for years & in the meantime accumulate 2 or 3 new ones. The little mirrors are great too!
7. Cupcake / Cake decorations: If you get cupcakes or a cake from your local Food Lion, Walmart or bakery- you may just have those plastic rings adorning your cupcake, or some figurines on the cake. If you’re not sentimentality attached- these would be great for shoeboxes & the neat thing is there’s so many occasions, so you’ll have a variety throughout the year.
8. Coloring sheets &/or small packs of crayons: Some restaurants give coloring sheets/booklets & small packs of crayons to kids. If your child/grandchild isn’t old enough to color yet – or they give you an extra one – it would be a great “little extra” something for a shoebox. (I’ve put these in before in *addition* to a standard box of crayons.)
9. T-shirts: if you’ve signed up for a 5k, marathon, color run, or you’ve won a free t-shirt from a business (and you get to choose what size) – and you already have plenty of t-shirts yourself – get the t-shirt in a child’s size – and then donate it for a shoebox!
10. Do you by chance have a collection of beanie babies, Barbies or Hot Wheels, boxed up or shelved in a curio cabinet? Beanie babies, Barbies & Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars are great for shoeboxes! Many people have donated their collections to shoebox packers.
11. Calendars, with nature scenes or Bible verses, the front of Christmas cards and the front of bulletins with scripture or pictures are great to decorate the inside/outside of shoeboxes.
12. Do you have any old eyeglasses laying around your home? The Lions Club recycles eyeglasses & distributes them to people in low income areas that cannot afford glasses. There’s a drop off container at Pennrose Mall (in Reidsville) – or you could get them to me & I’ll drop them off for you.
13. Do you subscribe to a newspaper that has a comic strip? Or do you have old comic books that you no longer want? Comic strips/comic books would be great to use to decorate the outside of a shoebox!!
14. Do you have old t-shirts that no longer fit, or have stains on them? Your old t-shirt can be repurposed into a jump rope for an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. Google t-shirt jump rope and you’ll find video tutorials on how to make a jump rope. It’s easy and fun!
15. Old Sunday School literature, Bibles, devotionals, Hymnals, Choir music, or VBS materials can be donated to Book-Link International, Inc. They assist the IMB by shipping the materials to Southern Baptist Missionaries all over the world. Mail your materials to:
Book-Link International, Inc.
100 Book-Link Way
Eubank, KY 42567
*None of the items listed above will cost you anything. Only the time it takes to you to put it to the side- or the time it takes you to contact me to come pick it up! Please see me, Lori Walker, to find out more information OR to donate items. I appreciate ALL donations!