Back to school shopping: Remember Operation Christmas Child and Christmas toy donations

Are you looking for a nifty charity to donate toys to this Christmas? Why not explore Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child. This group collects Christmas shoeboxes filled with with gifts for needy kids around the world. To participate, get a shoebox and fill it with toys, school supplies, articles of clothing, personal care products, candy, books and other little gifts. Drop it off at one of the locations here or mail it in.

We've been doing this as a family since it started in 1993. We shop back to school sales for pencils, glue sticks, notebooks, markers, crayons, scissors, pens, activity booklets, coloring books and craft sets.  We fill our boxes with small backpacks, cuddle toys, hair accessories, toy cars, small brush and comb, wash cloth, energy bars, powdered vitamin drink, prayer cards, jewelry, sunglasses, socks and T-shirt. Shopping sales, especially back-to-school, I was able to get all these items for about $12-$15 per box. 2017 shoe boxes are due Nov. 13 to Nov. 20 and drop-off locations are listed on the website.

Don't forget to pick up extra school supplies at back to school sales to donate to those in need. 

Non-Profit Wish Lists for Year-Round Giving

Winter is particularly hard on the homeless and those in need. And 2014 was a terrible winter in Michigan. In Detroit, cold temperatures send many to shelters and missions. Agency resources get depleted more quickly during the holidays. Here are wish lists of needed items at Metro Detroit nonprofit organizations. In spring, many missions find themselves short of resources. Here's a list of shelter needs, to keep giving going year-round. Holiday Wish Lists for Detroit Nonprofits

Give the Gift of Hygiene, Personal Care Products

Got stinky kids? Well, puberty is the time for it. Hormones in overdrive make the sweat glands work extra hard, too. And many schools don't have time for facilities for kids to shower after gym class. So they can get pretty ripe by the end of the day. Give the gift of hygiene. Here are a few personal care products we found that help with body odor. Tips and Products to Help Kids Maintain Hygiene 

What to Give and Not Give to Food Banks

Do you donate to food banks? If so, what kind of things do you give? I have issues with some items our church food pantry requests: Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper, boxed macaroni and cheese, boxed potatoes. I don't buy these products and I'm doing people a service not buying it for them.
This "food" isn't food at all. It's full of fat and sodium and just convenience junk. If food is going to homeless people, I see why packaged is essential. They have no place to cook. But presumably the recipients of our food pantry do, ergo the Hamburger Helper request. I know non-perishables work best but there are better packaged food options.  Do You Give to Food Pantries? What Food do You Donate?

Bargains, More Importantly Blessings at Fair Trade Christmas Sale

I helped with our fair trade/direct trade Christmas sale at church Saturday. We didn't have nearly the traffic we had last year, but weather was treacherous and cold. I'm hoping that's the reason. And not that people prefer junk stuff produced by slave labor in exploited countries. Sorry, I get ranty about fair trade. And I admit, it's not easy. That's why I felt so good about this sale.   Bargains and Blessings at Our Fair Trade Christmas Sale

Advent Calendar Service Project Craft

Many of us parents have found Christmas to be about receiving not giving with our children. It's not that kids are selfish, it's that marketing campaigns bombard them with products to want. Who can blame kids for wanting all that cool stuff? To say, 'you're selfish' to a child is to state an obvious, but not necessarily negative fact. Telling them not to desire is pointless.  It's part of how children learn to meet their own needs. We can give them opportunities to practice giving, sharing too though, especially at Advent. Here's an advent calendar craft with sharing opportunities.Advent Math, Writing Project Craft

Pack Samaritans Purse Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Now

I'm putting together my Operation Christmas Child shoebox for Samaritan's Purse. Since 1993, these gift boxes have been shipped around the world to kids in need. We've been participating for about that long. Here's how I'm saving $11 packing it in person. But packing a box online works great for homebound and elderly.Packing Samaritans Purse Operation Christmas Child Shoe box

Wishlists for shelters, missions, food banks

Winter is particularly hard on the homeless and those in need. In Detroit, cold temperatures send many to shelters and missions. Agency resources get depleted more quickly during the holidays. Here are wish lists of needed items at Metro Detroit nonprofit organizations.  Read more

Holiday Wish Lists for Detroit Nonprofits

Winter is particularly hard on the homeless and those in need. In Detroit, cold temperatures send many to shelters and missions. Agency resources get depleted more quickly during the holidays. Here are wish lists of needed items at Metro Detroit nonprofit organizations. If you're looking to donate in your area, use these guidelines for giving. Each charity will have its own list of needs, but these are good basic recommendations.  Read more

Advent Almsgiving, Service Project for all Ideologies

If we're not careful Christmas ends up being more about receiving than giving, with adults as much as kids. It's not that kids are so selfish, it's that marketing campaigns target children and bombard them with images of thousands of 'must-have' toys, gadgets and goodies. Who can blame kids for wanting all that cool stuff? To say a child is selfish is to state an obvious, but not necessarily negative, fact of childhood. Being self-centered is how they learn to care for and protect themselves. But excessive selfishness is taught, not inherent. So do how do we teach empathy? By telling kids not to want things? Nope--shaming is unhealthy. It's also counterproductive. Better to teach positive, proactive sharing and caring.  Here's a printable advent almsgiving activity. And you don't have to be Catholic or Christian to observe advent virtues. I have friends in every faith group and ideology--Jewish, Muslim, Atheist, Buddhist, Wiccan, Bahai, Sikh, Hindu, animist--all practice similar acts of mercy and charity. This can activity can be used with children, no matter what their family creed. Advent Giving

Suggested Donations for Thanksgiving Food Drives

It's time to start putting together Thanksgiving food baskets for those in need. With the sluggish economy the need will likely be even greater this years. Here's a list of the canned goods and food donations to give this holiday season. It might seem unnecessary to list suggested items for a food basket. But I've worked at food banks and missions. There are certain foodstuffs and personal items that are donated in abundance and rarely needed. There are also items it seems we always run out of. Note: send foods that can be eaten unheated. Choose cans with pull-off lids. Needy folks don't always have access to appliances or can openers. Best Foods Items to Donate to Thanksgiving Food Drives

First person: How I Live Simply that Others May Simply Live

A Month of Money Saving Penny-Pinching Tips One of the things I take pleasure in during the holidays is giving. No matter how cash-strapped we are, we still live by the "pay it forward" motto. We tip generously and share. I don't say this to brag. Not at all. I say this in thanks to God for allowing us the joy and privilege of giving. This year, I was able donate about $300 to those in need. It felt good. How do I do it? By living simply that others may simply live. Penny pinching and saving money has been likened to building a dam. The large holes are obvious. The small crevices are less noticeable, but if left to slowly leak, will eat up funds quickly. Saving money means I have more money to share with others. In these times when lawmakers are cutting more social safety networks and taking tax benefits form the working middle class, these tips are even more cogent. Here's a fortnight of budget repairs to prevent financial leaks. Read more...

Parents Benefit Giving, Receiving Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes

Parents Benefit from Giving, Receiving Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes For some parents, the holidays represent more poverty and struggle. For others, it's a time to reach out and share. Here's how Operation Christmas Child helps parents in need and those with resources to share. Read more...

Best Gifts for Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child Box

Best Gifts for Operation Christmas Child Shoe box Looking for a great Christmas giving opportunity? Operation Christmas Child is a charitable giving outreach ministry of Samaritan's Purse. Each year around Thanksgiving, thousands of boxes are shipped to domestic and foreign missions. Here's a list of items to put in your Operation Christmas Child holiday gift box. To participate in Operation Christmas Child, all you need to do is fill a large shoebox with items for a child. Indicate the gender and age of the child you've packed for on the shipping label. Read more.

Easy, Inexpensive Holiday Gift Baskets

You've seen the expensive holiday goodie baskets; they're lavish and lovely.  But even if you choose the items to fill them with, they still seem mass-produced, impersonal...And you don't want that, not for your loved ones. Here are quick, easy, inexpensive gift basket ideas for anyone on your holiday shopping list. Read on...

Best Giving Tree and Toys for Tots Gifts

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is choosing gifts for the Marines Toys for Tots drive and church missions Giving Tree childrens' gifts. Here are best gifts for domestic and overseas missions, giving tree and Toys for Tots. Read on...

Free Printable 'Stone Soup' Activities to Teach Kids Sharing

The legend of "Stone Soup" is timeless. It's been retold many times, notably by Marcia Brown, Ann McGovern and Jon J. Muth. Stone Soup is sacred text in preschool and elementary classrooms. If you are teaching Stone Soup, here are free printable activities.  Read on

Fair Trade Gifts from Sustainable, Renewable Resources

Green, Sustainable, Fair Trade Holiday Gift-Giving Ideas
Whatever your religious views, if you participate in holiday gift-giving, why not consider giving green, eco-friendly, fair trade gifts this holiday season? Here gift-giving ideas from companies committed to using renewable, sustainable resources.
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Best Toys and Gifts for Toy Drives and Toys for Tots

Best Toys to Donate for Toys for Tots and Giving Tree Childrens Christmas Gift Drive
One of my favorite parts of Christmas is choosing gifts for the Marines Toys for Tots drive and church missions Giving Tree childrens gifts. Sometimes it's difficult to know what kind of gift to choose. Here are some considerations to help.
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Operation Christmas Child- Samaritan's Purse

Samaritan's Purse - Operation Christmas Child
Samaritan's Purse, a global Christian relief organization hosts an annual Christmas gift collection drive called Operation Christmas OCC delivers gift boxes to children around the world. Want to participate? It's easy! Here's how.
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