Operation Christmas Child helps millions of children every year and one of those children came to Beechwood Elementary School Oct. 25, to talk to the students about her own experience receiving a shoebox.
Yuri Lopez, 26, was an orphan in second grade living in Honduras when she was given her shoebox. “It was just like any other day and then suddenly a helicopter landed in the middle of the orphanage’s soccer field,” Lopez said. The helicopter was filled with shoeboxes and Lopez easily recalled the moments leading up to receiving her shoebox. “They took us to the church in town and asked our ages and gave us the shoeboxes,” Lopez said.
She remembers how the children had to wait to open their shoeboxes until every child in the church had gotten theirs. Lopez said “while I was waiting, I was shaking my box. I kept asking myself, will it be this? Will it be that?”
Lopez explained how she opened her shoebox and was immediately thankful for what she received in her box. The box Lopez received consisted of school supplies. “I got a notebook and pencil box. I hid my pencils because we only got one pencil for the year,” Lopez said. Then she explained how her previous school supplies had been stolen or lost earlier in the year and that with her shoebox she was able to replace them.
Lopez like many other children also received a toothbrush and toothpaste that year. “For the first time I had something that I didn’t have to share with anyone else.” Lopez explained to the children that while in the orphanage she had to share a toothbrush with 25 other girls until getting one in her shoebox.
“I just want to say thank you so much,” Lopez said. She explained her appreciation, as a child receiving a much-needed shoebox filled with items she otherwise would not have. Operation Christmas Child’s mission is to help millions of girls and boys around the world like Yuri Lopez.
Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization, created Operation Christmas Child to give children around the world basic necessities like school supplies, toiletries and basic clothing pieces. Shoeboxes can contain gifts for either girls or boys from ages 2 to 4, 5 to 9 or 10 to 14. Suggested items include small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, pens and pencils, crayons, coloring books, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, hard candy, gum, ball caps, socks, jewelry and picture books.
Every year Samaritan’s Purse touches the lives of more than a million children with shoeboxes filled by people of all ages.
Last year Beechwood Elementary joined to help Operation Christmas Child. Students brought store bought items and items from home to fill the shoeboxes. Last year Beechwood Elementary filled and sent more than 100 shoeboxes to children in need around the world and plan to send more this year.