Silver Valley Operation Christmas Child helps spread holiday joy
Linda and David Langer pose with cartons of shoeboxes with presents ready to be shipped and distributed during Operation Christmas Child in the Silver Valley.
Shoshone News-Press file photo
KELLOGG — Most pushes for presents for kids and families in need are relegated to November and December, but for Mountain View Congregational Church’s Operation Christmas Child offerings, it’s a yearlong culmination.
Linda Langer helps coordinate efforts from the church, which made up part of the 17,308 shoeboxes full of presents and necessities that were amassed by people in North Idaho.
“We collected 179 shoeboxes from our church this year. It was a really big one. We’ve never had to take two vehicles before, so we were very excited this year by the generosity, especially considering that everything has gone up in price,” Langer said.
The Silver Valley branch of Operation Christmas Child used to only work through the Hayden drop site, but for the last six years, they’ve been their own drop-off site for congregation members and community members alike.
The Christmas boxes were shipped and distributed through Samaritan’s Purse during national collection week Nov. 13-20 before most of the boxes were sent to children overseas.
The goal is to have a “wow" item for each box, like a deflated soccer ball with a pump so more goodies can fit into the box. One member of the church Langer works with is especially adept at using rubber bands to make things as small as possible in the boxes to be able to fit more gifts.
“Some people make things to put in and it’s amazing. There’s a gentleman who makes wooden toys,” Langer said.
Hygiene items like soaps, washcloths or personal items like water bottles can also be included in the boxes along with school supplies.
Packaging the boxes can also be an exercise in remembering not to take everyday items for granted.
“A little boy had a notebook that had a few pages in it, and the next day, he would erase it again to start his next lesson,” Langer said.
Things kids can cuddle with, like a stuffed animal or doll, are also among the favorite items packaged into the boxes.
“A lot of the shoeboxes go to children who would otherwise not receive anything. You just never know how people are going to react, but we just had a very, very good year this year,” Langer said.