Quality, Handmade Gifts
Did you know your sewing, knitting, woodworking, and crafting can help touch the heart of a child with great joy and open doors to share the Gospel?
Operation Christmas Child is a hands-on project that brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations worldwide through gift-filled shoeboxes packed by Canadians. Inside these shoebox gifts, your quality, handmade items can become dearly loved gifts that remind children in need that they are loved and not forgotten.
Quality, handcrafted items like dresses, hats, gloves, facecloths, dolls, or wooden cars are great additions when you pack your shoebox gifts. Creating and donating additional items are also valuable at the shoebox processing center in Calgary.
What does Operation Christmas Child do with handcrafted items donated to the Processing Center?
Items donated to the Processing Center will be lovingly packed in shoebox gifts in November and December. As we inspect Canadian shoeboxes before they are shipped overseas, trained volunteers sometimes need to remove items—such as liquids, breakables, or food—due to customs, cultural, or safety reasons.
When items are removed, we encourage volunteers to replace that item with a new gift item. That is where your handcrafted can help fill the space in a shoebox. God uses these tangible expressions of His love to transform the lives of children, families, and communities.
What do you recommend I make as handcrafted items for shoebox gifts?
There are hundreds of ideas. Here is just a short list:
• Knitted or crocheted toque or headband
• Knitted or crocheted stuffed animals or dolls
• Knitted or crocheted washcloths
• Handmade dresses (pillowcase dresses), shorts, hats
• Drawstring cloth bags
• Handmade pencil cases
• Small wooden cars, trucks, boats
• Sewing kits – fill a small resealable with new thread and notions
• Fishing kits – fill a small resealable bag with new fishing line and lures
• Craft kits – fill a small resealable bag with new crayons, stickers, paper, etc
How do I get my homemade items to Operation Christmas Child?
If you live close to the shoebox processing center in Calgary (20 Hopewell Way NE), you can drop off your items any time of the year. We are open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
If you are further away, the best way to send is during National Collection Week, the third week of November, alongside your shoebox gifts. During this time, hundreds of Drop-off Locations are open across Canada to receive shoebox gifts—and can also receive additional items for use at the processing center. In September, you can check our drop-off locator map to find a location near you.
Are there any restrictions around homemade, handcrafted items?
All handmade items must be made from new materials to meet the custom guidelines of the countries that received shoebox gifts.
Operation Christmas Child cannot accept any handmade items made from used materials, such as used fabrics (ex. old jeans), DVDs/CDs, or repurposed bottles/bags. Please also keep in mind that raw materials like rocks or bark and items like beans or rice cannot be shipped overseas due to customs regulations.
If you are unsure what materials will work, please call us at 1-800-303-1269 or email occ@samaritan.ca
Do you have specific items to make or patterns that I should be following?
While we don’t have specific items or patterns we require you to follow, we encourage you to create items you enjoying making, keeping two things in mind:
• Items should be appropriate for children aged 2 to 14 years old.
• Items should be small enough to fit inside an average-sized shoebox while also leaving room for other items.
• Quilts, blankets, and knitted sweaters are too large to fit in a shoebox. Please ensure you are creating smaller items.
Do you have fabric, yarn, or wood to get started?
If you live in the Calgary area, we have fabric and yarn—donated to Operation Christmas Child—that is available. Please call us at 1-800-303-1269 or email occ@samaritan.ca to find out more.
We also encourage you to talk to your church, family, and neighbors to let them know what you want to create and ask if they have supplies they would be willing to donate to you. You can also approach your local fabric store or hardware store and ask if they would consider donating materials to Operation Christmas Child.
Share the vision of Operation Christmas Child and your desire to make something special for children worldwide. You will be amazed at how God will provide once people understand what you are doing. If you want to give a letter to them, here’s a sample you can use.
Letter Text:
Dear ____________________________,
Thank you for taking a moment to consider my request for your support as I embark on a project to create beautiful, handcrafted gifts for children in need around the world. I am working to create these items to go inside Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts, which will be delivered to children living in war, poverty, and natural disaster situations.
Many of these children have never received a gift in their lives.
I am writing to request a contribution of donated materials of _____________________as I create these handcrafted items.
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, is a hands-on way for Canadians to bless children in need by filling shoeboxes with toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and other items. It’s the largest children’s Christmas project of its kind. Since 1993, it has reached millions of children working with local partners in over 100 countries.
I want to make an impact for children around the world and invite you to join me in that endeavor. I would greatly appreciate hearing back from you if you would like to support me by providing donated materials.
To learn more about Operation Christmas Child, visit SamaritansPurse.ca/OCC
Sincerely,
(volunteer signs name here)
