That's a wrap: DI beats 2015 OCC shoebox total!

Four and a half year-old Liam Burton carefully eyed the choice of gift items spread out before him. What would he place inside the brightly colored red and green box? A Christmas-themed tic tac toe game? A pack of crayons? A spinning top? All were contenders for what will surely bring a burst of holiday joy to a child just like Liam waiting on the other side of the world.

Liam and his mother, Leslie, were two of many volunteers who turned out to assist in preparing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes at a special Daniel Island packing party on November 16 organized by Honeycomb Cafe owner Oanh Dang.

“I’ve done boxes every year individually, but this is the first time I’ve done a packing party,” said Leslie. “I’ve really enjoyed it! And I wanted Liam to start to learn to participate and give back. I’m letting him pick out what he thinks a little boy might like!”

The Daniel Island community contributed 500 boxes last year as part of the worldwide OCC effort, which sends the gift-filled containers to children in need in more than 150 territories and countries. This year, the community surpassed that total with a record 615 boxes.

“Response this year has been overwhelmingly positive,” noted Daniel Island resident Jennifer Roberts, OCC Charleston Area Coordinator.

Boxes can be created individually, via small packing parties like this one on Daniel Island, or by large organizations and churches. Roberts was hoping to surpass the local OCC’s 32,000 box goal for this district. Every single box is significant, she said.

“Every box represents a child. Think of a child’s face when they open that box. The two boxes that someone brings in are just as important as the church that brings in 1000.”

As Daniel Island resident Jenna Johnson, 12, packed her box she thought about the child who would open it.

“I want to help people get presents for Christmas who don’t usually get them,” she said, while putting the finishing touches on her box. “I hope they feel appreciated and loved.”

“It’s fun and it’s nice to help out,” added 14 year-old Tim McDonald, who worked alongside Jenna. “…I hope they feel surprised. I’ve kind of been packing it in a certain order, so there’s a nice big thing on top and then a bunch of little things. I’m packing it in a way that I would want to open it up!”

Porter Quantz, an 8th grade student at Palmetto Scholars Academy, also took part in the packing session.

“My Mom got me involved in this because I needed community service hours,” he said. “But I guess it’s pretty cool because I get to help people in need!”

Daniel Island resident Lee LoPriore has been involved in the OCC collection effort for the last five years. She travels a great deal with her job and initially got involved to help collect bars of soap from hotels that could be put in the boxes. After promoting the idea among family, friends, and colleagues, her initial goal of 500 bars turned out to be a modest number.

“We came back with 1500!” she said. “That’s how we started this!”

She’s been volunteering for OCC ever since.

“First of all, it’s for the kids,” she said, while organizing supplies at the recent Daniel Island packing party. “I think it’s so important to try to make a difference in a kid’s life, and this to me seems so simple - but with such a huge impact.”

Oanh Dang couldn’t agree more. She decided to jump onboard with this year’s effort and allowed Honeycomb to serve as a collection site for filler items.

“Being from another country, I have a soft spot for children,” she said. “I don’t know if Vietnam is a recipient, but I can associate with that. I remember growing up in a third world country and receiving a little gift and being really excited about it. It’s pretty special.”

Dang says the response this year’s collection effort received from the Daniel Island community has been inspiring. Honeycomb patrons and other members of the community brought in bags of donations or contributed cash for organizers to purchase gift items for the boxes.

“One patron handed over $300 and told us to go buy stuff!” added Dang. “…It’s such a community effort. People have been super generous. And it may not be causes they are passionate about, but it’s just the community of Daniel Island. When you ask, someone will be willing to step up. And in this case, they stepped up big time!”

This year alone, OCC hopes to send boxes to some 12 million children around the globe - to places like Tanzania, Africa, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe. The Daniel Island shoeboxes will be among them. The OCC program is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism effort headed by Franklin Graham. Although the main box shipments are already enroute this holiday season, there is still time for those who would like to complete a box online. Visit https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/ for more information.