We had a fundraiser lunch, earlier in the year and items have been accumulating as the months went by.
We collected items at church for the last few months, trying to catch end of summer and school supply sales. And purchased what was needed to round out the boxes.
A lady from our church crocheted 90 facecloths while she sat beside her husband, who was in palliative care. They were beautiful.
A couple that was downsizing and moving last winter, donated part of their beanie baby collection for shoe boxes - great idea!
A family member sewed 70 fabric bags, "paying forward" the kindness she and her family had received, following the death of her son and grandson last summer. I'm sure those bags will get used for a long, long time. (They were so cute I could've kept a few for myself!).
We had a craft night where we put together sewing kits, craft and jewelry kits and a few other things.
A sweet lady from our church congregation passed away a couple of weeks ago. She was one of the first to bring back a filled shoe box. I chatted with her granddaughter, following her passing and she told me how her Grandma had taken a day to go shopping and carefully choose the items she wanted to include in her box. It wasn't just some things chucked into a box, each item had been carefully considered. And although she isn't here with us today, her love for the Lord will be shared with a child somewhere across the world, because she packed that shoe box. And we don't know the ripple effect that can have.
It all came together last Sunday, when we had our shoe box dedication, during our Sunday morning service. 257 boxes were loaded and taken to the Portage Collection Center.
My prayer is that each of these boxes carries the Gospel message with it and many, many lives will be changed for eternity.
Click here to see a short video of our shoe box collection this year.
1 comment:
257 boxes!! That is so wonderful & to think that 257 kids will be so blessed when they open their box. So happy that I could be a part of this & I really wanted to sew a few more but my surgery interfered with my plans but glad to get the surgery over with. I'll start soon & try to make some throughout the year so I can have lots ready for next year. Blessings to you for coordinating such a wothwhile project.
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