7-year-old girl puts together 400 donations for Operation Christmas Child
By Julie Koharik
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MONITEAU COUNTY, Missouri (KOMU) — Abigail Porter, a 7-year-old from Moniteau County, packed 400 shoeboxes full of donations for children across the globe for Operation Christmas Child.
Abigail started packing shoeboxes for the project when she was 3 years old. That year, she packed 50. She says her goal is to keep growing every year.
“I like to fill it because it makes a lot of children happy,” Abigail said. “If I only did one, it would make one kid happy.”
Operation Christmas Child is an annual project organized by Samaritan’s Purse to send shoeboxes filled with donations, such as personal care items, school supplies, accessories, and toys. Each box also includes a “wow” item, which can be anything from a doll to a stuffed animal to a pair of shoes.
Michelle Hale, the area coordinator for the project, says it’s something everyone can be part of.
“It’s just super, super simple. It’s rewarding. For me, it’s just joy in a box,” Hale said.
Abigail’s church, High Point Baptist Church, is just one of 17 locations collecting shoeboxes in mid-Missouri. Their goal is reaching 22,222 shoeboxes in the region. Last year, they collected 20,777.
These boxes are sent to more than 170 countries/territories across the globe. Hale encourages everyone to pack a box if they can.
For more information on how you can get involved next year, visit the Samaritan’s Purse website.
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