The Gun Counter

My in-laws do secret santa gift exchange each year for the adults. Last year, instead of spending an inordinate amount of time trying to decide what I would put on my wishlist, I chose to have the $100 sent to the smile train. I had been meaning to donate to them for years but never actually did it, so it checked two items off my list.

This year I was looking at Operation Christmas Child. This way, it's more than someone writing a check on my say-so. They actually have to pack a box full of useful items for someone who could use it.

The question then becomes, what would you put in the boxes? For what age? And what gender?

What do people in need really need?

If you go to Maslow's hierarchy , I'd say a tent, a sleeping bag, some MREs and condoms should do it. Thaht covers the basic needs, but I suspect that's not the advice you want.

And that's the problem with charities, sometimes it's hard to predict what they're looking for, the specific ages, the particular needs, and the meeting the requirements of the particular person.

I did Operation Christmas Child a couple years ago. I made two boxes, one for a girl and one for a boy. The organization has guidelines for what should go in, but aside from some personal hygiene (soap, washcloth, toothbrush/paste), and school supplies (pencils, notebooks) most of the items are supposed to be toys. You are, after all, standing in for Santa. Stuffed animals are supposed to be very popular, or dolls for girls. Also things like rubber balls, mini-frisbees. Well travelling candies like hard-candy are good too.

Here's their web address with some suggestions: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operatio ... -shoe-box/

MarkD wrote:I did Operation Christmas Child a couple years ago. I made two boxes, one for a girl and one for a boy. The organization has guidelines for what should go in, but aside from some personal hygiene (soap, washcloth, toothbrush/paste), and school supplies (pencils, notebooks) most of the items are supposed to be toys. You are, after all, standing in for Santa. Stuffed animals are supposed to be very popular, or dolls for girls. Also things like rubber balls, mini-frisbees. Well travelling candies like hard-candy are good too.

Here's their web address with some suggestions: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operatio ... -shoe-box/

I saw those. Then I saw a bunch of photos with boxes for boys 10-14 with tools and soccer balls and harmonicas. That got me to wondering if I could do better than sunglasses and a yoyo, especially for that age group.

Locally some of the social service agencies will develop lists of specific needs of specific families (with family names being shielded from donors), so not a lot of guesswork.

A previous employer used to do corporate match for donations from staff, and then we had a committee that went out and filled the shopping lists from the donations. Got some nice thank you letters from the families, including a couple that detailed how the help got them over a hump and were now working and paying their own bills. Some of the thank yous from the kids seemed to attract a lot of dust into the air ducts.

MarkD wrote: You are, after all, standing in for Santa.

I was overlooking this a bit.

Durham68 wrote:

MarkD wrote:I did Operation Christmas Child a couple years ago. I made two boxes, one for a girl and one for a boy. The organization has guidelines for what should go in, but aside from some personal hygiene (soap, washcloth, toothbrush/paste), and school supplies (pencils, notebooks) most of the items are supposed to be toys. You are, after all, standing in for Santa. Stuffed animals are supposed to be very popular, or dolls for girls. Also things like rubber balls, mini-frisbees. Well travelling candies like hard-candy are good too.

Here's their web address with some suggestions: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operatio ... -shoe-box/

I saw those. Then I saw a bunch of photos with boxes for boys 10-14 with tools and soccer balls and harmonicas. That got me to wondering if I could do better than sunglasses and a yoyo, especially for that age group.

IIRC 10-14 YOs weren't on the list when I did mine, it was either 2-4 or 5-9, hence the stuff animals/dolls.

OCC is a good outfit, we have a lot of volunteers that work with them and they have nothing but good things to say.

Durham68 wrote:

MarkD wrote: You are, after all, standing in for Santa.

I was overlooking this a bit.

"...and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge."

I would think blocks for the younger kids - maybe wiffle ball sets for the slightly older.

That or art supplies - something to get them engaged.

Books? Library membership?