Below you’ll find the show notes for episode 94, Hospital Care Packages and Sonshine Boxes: Showing Christ’s Love in Practical Ways, from the Women’s Ministry Toolbox Podcast.
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Hospital Care Packages and Sonshine Boxes: Showing Christ’s Love in Practical Ways
We’re continuing our series on loving our ladies with a focus on hospital care packages and Sonshine boxes.
In my last post, I shared about the newborn baskets and grief baskets our deacon’s wives deliver. We’ve also been called upon to love our ladies in some other special circumstances.
About a year ago, a set of twins arrived very early and had a lengthy hospital stay. We were asked to love on this family. We decided to put together a hospital care package and some meals were also delivered.
Our team came up with some super practical ideas that would serve mom well during her days in the NICU. We asked women we knew who had a similar experience what items would have been helpful for them.
What’s in a hospital care package?
I found a fabulous insulated tote that mom could use to keep any meals or snacks cold. In it we placed:
- Hand lotion
- Journal
- Pen, Sharpie, and highlighter
- Sticky notes
- Chapstick
- Tissues
- Wet wipes
- Pain medicine
- Scotch tape
I’ve made an Amazon shopping list of the items.
We also wanted to include some snacks that she would like. This is where the story gets interesting!
This family was very new to our church. They had moved from same city in our state that our pastor and our family had lived in previously (at different times). Our pastor knew them back then, but we did not. I pulled up her name on Facebook and quickly noticed that I recognized one of the young women in her photos. That young woman was one of our former youth students! It turns out the new mom and our former student are best friends! I reached out and she was able to provide a list of snacks that mom and dad enjoyed. Our team filled two grocery bags with chocolate, her favorite drinks, pretzels, BBQ chips, and more.
Sometimes God calls you to love women in your church in an extravagant way and this was one of those times.
I delivered the bags of snacks, tote, and some chili frozen in individual portions to her father who was in town visiting and helping. He was blown away and so appreciative.
Not only did I receive the sweetest texts, but she also sent photos of their daughters in the NICU. I’ve heard that she’s shared the story of the way our church loved them with many people. She’s repeatedly thanked me and I’ve passed along those thanks to the rest of our deacon’s wives team.
Who could you bless with a hospital care package?
Think for a moment of similar care packages you might bless your women with.
- Do you have women going through surgery or chemo?
- Are there women in your church spending hours each week in the hospital sitting with a loved one?
A care package like this would be such a blessing.
Sonshine Boxes
I can’t wait to share the story of the Sonshine box with you!
Several years ago, a friend who doesn’t live close by was receiving treatment for breast cancer. Knowing she was facing a particularly tough period, I wanted to send her a care package. Sometime prior, I had seen an idea on Pinterest to send a box of sunshine filled with yellow gifts. It seemed perfect! She loved it and sent me the sweetest note, thanking me for her “Sonshine” box.
In the years since, I’ve delivered many Sonshine bags and Sonshine boxes. I even put up a post here with some Sonshine scripture cards that you can print off and include in your care package.
What to include in your Sonshine box?
Over the years, I’ve included:
- Yellow socks
- Peanut M&Ms (in a yellow package)
- Sunflower seeds
- Yellow sticky notes
- Flip Flops
- Yellow nail polish
- Bracelets
- Lemonade
You’ll find additional ideas here.
I’ve learned to grab yellow gifts, yellow tissue paper, and yellow bags when I see them. I’ve got a small stash of yellow gifts in a plastic tote that I can pull from when the Lord places someone on my heart to give one to.
Who might need a box of Sonshine?
- Women going through a divorce
- Widows
- Moms struggling with newborn/postpartum depression
- Anyone undergoing treatment for cancer
- Women suffering from a long-term or chronic illness
I have no doubt the Lord is bringing to your mind the faces and names of women who could use some sonshine.
How to use Sonshine boxes (or bags) in your women’s ministry program:
- Plan an evening where you assemble boxes to send out (homebound members, college students, names submitted).
- Host a Sonshine Box or bag event. Attendees take home one box/bag to give to a friend or neighbor in need. Ask everyone to bring yellow gifts (or charge a small fee and order the items).
- Add this to the tasks of your Care Committee.
- Create a submission process for the women of your church to request a box for another woman. Consider collect donations from your church for the boxes (lessening the budget burden).
Whether you take this on as a team project or a personal mission, spreading a little Sonshine is a great way for us to show love to one another.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4, says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Hospital care packages and Sonshine boxes are just one of the many ways we can offer comfort to God’s people when they are going through difficult times.
Today’s Toolbox Tasks:
- Discuss the need in your church for hospital care packages and sunshine boxes.
- If there’s a need, make a plan for moving forward. Consider recruiting someone to oversee this ministry.
I pray these gifts will be a blessing to each giver and recipient in your church.
You may also want to read:
The Sonshine Box
Newborn and Grief Baskets: Loving Our Ladies in Times of Joy and Sorrow
Leading Through Tragedy: How to Support Your Community During Difficult Times
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